Despite Arsenal being so far behind Manchester City in the title race, there’s still a chance of them causing a major upset and defying the odds this season.

There is a lot for the Gunners to overcome, but in years gone by, Arsene Wenger’s men have pulled rabbits out of their hates. They just need to get their act together, starting tonight against defending champions Chelsea.

The bookmakers have no faith in them, and some are placing 500-1 odds for Arsenal to topple Manchester City in the Premier League, but there are three ways Wenger can turn his side’s fortunes around –  retain the core players, bring in some new talent and get the right balance between defence and attack.

Easy, right?

Retain the star players

There seems to be a lot of disharmony at the club currently. A few of Arsenal’s star men are being linked with other sides, while others could be exiting the Emirates for nothing at the end of their contracts next summer.

This would be a disaster for Arsenal, and would push their title odds back even further. If things don’t change in January, anybody betting on the team will be throwing money away.

There seems to be a lack of passion and heart when watching Arsenal lately. The team needs more desire, and to be more of a cohesive unit. The players will never be at their best if their are getting turned by offers elsewhere, so the focus has to be on Arsenal and getting them up the table.

Arsene Wenger

In his 22 years at Arsenal, he has only managed to win three Premiere League titles. Though this is not to be scoffed at, it is still lower than expected given how strong the Gunners were in the late 90s and early 2000s.

There’s no doubt Wenger is still a top manager who deserves a lot of respect, but his reticence to shake things up a bit may be why Arsenal appear to be sleepwalking currently, doomed to produce the same results.

Perhaps it is time to bring in some fresh blood, as the current squad have proven they aren’t good enough to challenge for the title. He is, however, doing a good job in the Europa League, with Arsenal in the knockout stages.

Supporters will make their jokes about Arsenal’s demise, while placing their Champions league bets on their favourites clubs this season, but there’s a real chance the Gunners could go far in Europe.

As for the Premier League, if movements in January are made, it may be worth putting a tenner on Arsenal at those odds.

Balance of attack and defence

Although it makes for an exciting game to have an attack-heavy team, a lack of balance can result in high-scoring defeats and a battered defence most weeks. If you play against a solid team with a great defence, it’s hard to score, so why not look to marry the two on the pitch? Having one without the other is a formula for long-term losses, and definitely won’t win you a title.

Having said all that, Arsenal can still pull off a major upset this season. Wenger is reportedly bringing players in this month, and new arrivals coming into the first-team will strengthen the squad and boost their hopes of success.

If the Gunners can sign quality players who have passion and desire, Arsenal can definitely challenge any side they come up against. It will be interesting to see how they fare the next time they face leaders Manchester City. Defeat will kill their hopes of a title challenge, while a win would give them and the other contenders real hopes of toppling Pep Guardiola’s side come May.

It’s been a while since Arsenal have had such hope, so here’s hoping they spend in January to restore it.