Dark arts mastered and an in-form attack: Arsenal have one hand on another Premier League title

Analysis

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

After winning their first Premier League title in 22 years last season, Arsenal reacted by signing one of the best central midfielders and one of the best central defenders in the entire division.

Mikel Arteta’s squad isn’t perfect, with their lack of a top-class left winger a notable issue, but they arguably have the strongest depth in Europe and given the team has been delicately curated over the past six years, it would come as an almighty shock if they aren’t in the title race come May.

In fact, Arsenal may already have one hand on a second consecutive Premier League trophy - as ludicrous as that might sound.

Of course, there are still 35 English top flight fixtures remaining this season, but Arsenal have picked up maximum points so far, thanks to wins over Coventry City, Aston Villa and Chelsea, and they are simply far superior to every other team in the league.

Arteta has built an immaculate squad at the Emirates Stadium and while their style of play infuriates opposition fans, there is no denying the fact that Arsenal are a very good team. Plus, there’s significant reason to believe they may be even better than last year.

Having added Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa to Arteta’s squad, Arsenal have squad depth like no other and their back-up XI would arguably finish in the top-four alone. Their first XI, meanwhile, are the runaway favourites for glory this term.

Current ETV

Bruno Guimarães

M, DM (C)

Arsenal

Bruno Guimarães

M, DM (C)

Arsenal

€51.1M

ETV Range

€46M - €56.2M

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They have mastered the dark arts

In their pomp under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City were the gold standard for dark arts in the Premier League and Rodri was the poster boy. His quality on the ball was plain for all to see, but the Spain midfielder was a master at committing tactical fouls to break up transitions, yet he often avoided a booking.

Arsenal have now taken on this mantle, with Arteta having learned from his mentor at the Etihad Stadium.

It has been going on for months, but it was incredibly obvious against Chelsea on Sunday. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Martin Zubimendi both avoided a yellow card, despite committing eight fouls between them, while Declan Rice and the aforementioned Konsa both saw clear yellow-card offences waved away without a free-kick even being awarded.

While referees deserve criticism for failing to stop Arsenal’s antics, Arteta and his team deserve praise for successfully skirting the law to gain a significant advantage. No other club in the Premier League can match Arsenal’s ability on this front, and it stands them in good stead amid their pursuit of a second consecutive title.

An in-form attack

Last season, Arsenal’s attack was often stale. They lacked creativity, verve and speed, and it led to an immense reliance on set pieces.

That has now changed. Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz have both started the 2026-27 season in fantastic form, and Chelsea were left mesmerised by some of the Gunners’ rotations in attack on Sunday.

Odegaard and Havertz have each netted three times in Arsenal’s opening four fixtures of the new campaign, and it’s no surprise their attack looks far more potent than last year with those two players in tip-top shape.

In Bukayo Saka and Christos Tzolis, Arsenal also have two reliable creators out wide and although they are lacking a true superstar forward, the balance in their attacking unit right now is flawless.

Their defence remains imperious

It took less than 90 seconds on Sunday for Arsenal to concede their first goal of the new season, but no individual blunder led to Morgan Rogers’ strike, it was simply a well-placed volley that David Raya couldn’t quite claw away.

The Spaniard did, however, make an immense save from Estevao Willian in the dying embers of the game and he remains the best goalkeeper in the Premier League by a fairly significant margin.

Meanwhile, Arsenal allowed Chelsea, dubbed as the best attack in the league pre-game, to create just 0.39xG in the entire 90 minutes. Their shape largely restricted Chelsea’s ability to generate meaningful chances, while tactical fouling stopped the Blues’ dangerous transitions at source.

Arsenal remain an excellent defensive unit, and Arteta has unlocked their attack to a new level this season. If they can continue their current momentum, nobody will be able to stop them from romping to back-to-back league titles.

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