Can Arsenal still reach the top four in the Premier League?

                                    Mikel Arteta

If Mikel Arteta steers Arsenal to victory over Newcastle United on Monday then they are back in contention for a top four finish in the Premier League 

By Adam Le Roux

There’s no denying that the start to the season has been historically bad for Arsenal – the record books will tell you just as much – but is a respectable Premier League finish really out of reach for the Gunners this year?

Mikel Arteta may be heading into tomorrow’s clash with Newcastle still in the bottom half of the league standings, but an upturn in form since Christmas has made Arsenal fans dream again.

With four matches unbeaten and 10 points from a possible 12 ahead of the Magpies match, there are a number of clubs within reach for Arsenal if they continue their good run of form, with a crucial run of fixtures coming up before the end of the month.

The Newcastle clash will be followed by three matches in the space of a week, with a potential league and cup double-header against Southampton in the pipeline, before a crunch match with Manchester United to bring the curtain down on January.

Therefore, it is even more crucial that Steve Bruce’s side are dispatched tomorrow with the minimum of fuss, as it could make or break the Gunners’ chances of chasing down a top four finish this campaign.

Top four is still feasible

Hear me out here… this season is a weird one, which could play right into Arsenal’s hands as they launch their oft-delayed assault on the top of the Premier League table later in the season.

The reason for this is one of two things – there are either a lot of excellent teams in the league this season, or, there are a lot of mediocre teams in the league this season. Either way, this has made for a compact look at the top of the standings.

There are so many teams that all seem capable of beating each other on any given day at the moment, with the behemoths that are Liverpool and Manchester City also looking to have had their wings clipped by the rest of the league.

Considering Arsenal are just 12 points off of top spot despite having one of their worst starts to a league season in living memory, it almost bodes well for the second half of the campaign, where results are undoubtedly set to improve.

With Granit Xhaka looking to be producing the goods once again – with Thomas Partey for company in the middle of the park – things are starting to look sturdier for Arteta and his men, while Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney continue to impress down the left flank. 

Granit Xhaka

Put Bernd Leno’s imperious run of form between the sticks into the equation and sprinkle a bit of Pablo Mari on top of that, and you almost have the concoction for a competitive side on your hands.

The only bit that seems to be missing, and has been for some time, is the lack of goals coming from the front men, with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang mustering just ten domestic strikes between them so far this campaign.

But it has come on leaps and bounds in recent weeks, with the Frenchman scoring four in his last four league matches, while the Gabonese striker got confidence-boosting strikes against Southampton and in the recent meeting against tomorrow’s opponents in the FA Cup.

All that is needed now is consistency, and if Thursday’s showing at Crystal Palace proved us anything, it is that this team are still not the finished product in the final third. But once that comes, so will the results.

So in this weirdest of seasons, it would be premature to rule out a competitive finish for the Gunners, with Mikel Arteta just another winning streak away from putting his side back in contention at the right end of the table.

With Leicester, Everton and Spurs all falling over themselves in the race for the coveted fourth and final European spot, could it be the Gunners who surge up the table to upset the odds? I wouldn’t bet against it….

Magpies match is a must-win

That being said, the Gunners can’t afford another poor performance against Newcastle, as they will have no extra time to gift them the win this time around, as they had in their FA Cup third round tie when these two met just over a week ago.

That time it was Emile Smith Rowe and Aubameyang who sealed the deal in the extra half an hour to see off Bruce’s side and secure progression into the next round of the competition, but this time they will have to take their chances to claim all three points.

We all know that the Magpies will be happy returning back to the north-east with a point from Monday’s clash, and Bruce will have his team set up looking to frustrate the Gunners once again. 

Pablo Mari

The industrious midfield presence that the Toon possess will be looking to make it tricky for Arsenal in possession, with Sean Longstaff, Jeff Hendrick and Isaac Hayden all likely to be roaming around trying to snap at Arsenal’s heels and snaffle any loose balls.

It can often be an exasperating experience coming up against Newcastle - as Arsenal fans know all too well recently - but once you find that go-ahead goal, they rarely have the quality to get themselves back into a game.

Andy Carroll typified that trait just last week, with the big striker missing some gilt-edged chances to give his side the victory and Leno keeping him at bay when he looked destined to score.

But if Arsenal want to prove to themselves and the rest of the division that they are starting to mean business this year, this is the game they need to win – and win comfortably.

With this the perfect chance to get the winning streak back up and running, and get the confidence oozing once again, a win here could propel the Gunners back into the conversation at the right end of the table when the season gets down to the final stretch.

Photo Credit: Getty Images


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