Arsenal’s recent 1-1 draw away at Southampton was somewhat of a disappointment, and that shows just how far The Gunners have come under Mikel Arteta this season.
If you had said to any Gooner at the start of the campaign that a draw at St. Mary’s would see you two points clear at the top of the Premier League after 11 games, they’d have snapped your hand off. But following Stuart Armstrong’s second-half equalizer, the overriding feeling was one of disappointment.
Despite still being top of the division, reigning champions Manchester City are hot on their tails. The Blues are just two points behind the North London side following their 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at the Etihad. As such, online bookmakers like the popular betting site Bovada, have made Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut the overwhelming favorites to retain their crown this season.
And it’s safe to say that neither the bookies nor the pundits expect Arsenal to mount a title challenge. Gary Neville recently said that he expects The Gunners to fall away and battle it out with the likes of Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle for the European spots. But there is one thing that would certainly be a statement of intent from Mikel Arteta’s side – topping the pile at Christmas.
The last time they topped the table at Christmas
Back in 2007, Arsene Wenger’s Gunners were just coming to terms with life after Thierry Henry. Their all-time leading goalscorer had left the Emirates for Barcelona in the summer, with the Catalonians forking out £16m to bring in the Frenchman, who turned 30 barely a month after the transfer. It was a deal that left many Gooners dismayed with the direction that the club was heading in, but Wenger didn’t let it deter him.
The club replaced their outgoing superstar with an unheard-of Brazilian from Dinamo Zagreb, namely Eduardo Da Silva. They also brought in right back Bacary Sagna and holding midfielder Lassana Diarra. And it seemed that Wenger had once again worked his magic, despite working on a budget that paled in comparison to that of years gone by thanks to the repayments being made on their new stadium.
The Gunners didn’t suffer defeat in their first 15 games, picking up 11 wins in the process – including impressive victories away at London rivals Spurs and West Ham. They bounced back from a disappointing 1-0 reverse away at Middlesborough at the start of December with back-to-back home victories over Chelsea and Spurs. Those results left them top of the pile at Christmas and with the home faithful dreaming of a first title since the invincibles.
And all kept going according to plan. The Gunners wouldn’t lose again until 23rd March, including a run of eight wins in ten. But the wheels started to come off the title charge on a disastrous day at St. Andrews.
Barely three minutes into that rainy afternoon in the Midlands, Arsenal’s Brazilian sensation Eduardo was the victim of a horror challenge from Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor. The challenge left the Brazilian suffering from one of the worst leg breaks in the history of the game, with the BBC’s Match of the Day unable to show a replay of the incident due to just how graphic the injury was.
A number of Arsenal players were visibly emotional after the incident and despite being down to ten men, the Blues were able to capitalize through James McFadden. A second-half brace from Theo Walcott gave the Gunners the lead but it was evident that all was not right within the squad and disaster struck late on when McFadden equalized with a 95th-minute penalty.
That result triggered a run of four consecutive draws against some of the Premier League’s less illustrious sides, losing top spot in the process. Then that defeat – at Stamford Bridge of all places – on 23rd March followed by another loss at Old Trafford three weeks later all but ended Arsenal’s title challenge. They would eventually finish third, four points behind eventual champions Manchester United.
Topping the table this Christmas isn’t a foregone conclusion
Christmas is still two months away, but as any parent will tell you, it is practically just around the corner. Thanks to the midseason break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, that statement couldn’t be any truer in the world of football. Arsenal have just three fixtures remaining before Christmas, with the season then being placed on hold until Boxing Day.
Those three fixtures are a home tie with Nottingham Forest, followed by back-to-back away trips to Chelsea and Wolves. Molineux is never an easy place to go, and obviously, neither is Stamford Bridge. And with Manchester City breathing down Arsenal’s necks, topping the table at Christmas is hardly a formality.