Why Arsenal can still beat Tottenham and Leicester to the Premier League title
We find some reasons for Arsenal fans to believe a first title since 2002/03 remains a possibility
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Your support makes all the difference.Many have given up on Arsenal winning the Premier League title this season - from their own fans to acclaimed pundits and rival managers.
"I think that gap now is too far. There's too much for them to do," Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports recently.
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman backed up the Liverpool legend's view: "It will be a fight between Tottenham and Leicester. They [Arsenal] are out of the title."
However, anyone with a GCSE in Maths can tell you that a first title since 2003/04 remains a possibility. Right now, Arsenal are 11 points behind league leaders Leicester and six behind Tottenham. Yet they have a game in hand and then 21 more points to play for before the season is over.
But in addition to being a mathematical possibility, we've found a few other reasons why Arsenal can still do it...
HOME GAMES
Of Arsenal's eight remaining games, five are at the Emirates. Their home form has not been as strong as in previous seasons (they've lost three already this term compared to two last season and one the year before that), however all the visitors to north London - Watford, Crystal Palace, West Brom, Norwich and Aston Villa - look beatable. "Their homes games you would expect them to win. That's going to be the problem, their home form - is it good enough?" Arsenal legend Ray Parlour recently asked. "[Wenger] will be saying to be positive and to keep going. Arsenal have just got to stay in there and hope that Leicester and Tottenham make a mistake."
CLUB EXPERIENCE
When things get serious - or when it's squeaky bum time as Sir Alex Ferguson would say - experience matters. Arsenal as a club are in a much better position than their rivals. Leicester have never won the title and since Tottenham last won it in 1960/61, Arsenal have lifted the trophy six times.
BELIEF
Despite trailing Leicester by so many points, there appears to remain a belief among the Arsenal players that this could be their year, as these recent quotes demonstrate...
Laurent Koscielny: "We've got eight finals left — we have no room for error any more. We've used up all of our Joker cards and we will have to get stuck in, not just think playing good football will be enough to win games."
Gabriel: "We have a great chance to be champions this season. But we do not throw in the towel and we can make a difference in the battles we have to fight for the Premier League title."
Mohamed Elneny: "The league is our only available title this season, we won't let it go easily."
Hector Bellerin: "There are only a few games left, although there are still lots of points to play for. We have some difficult games, though, so we have to be realistic. It's going to be difficult for Arsenal. I never think that anything is impossible. If I did, it wouldn’t be worth playing."
PLAYER EXPERIENCE
It might have been a while since Arsenal won the title, but thanks to the signings of Danny Welbeck and Petr Cech, they have experience of winning five league titles. Leicester have just Robert Huth, who won it with Chelsea in 2004/05 and 2005/06. Tottenham though don't have a single title winner among them.
TOTTENHAM ALWAYS FINISH BELOW ARSENAL
It's not quite true that Tottenham always finish below Arsenal - but it is in the near 20 years Arsene Wenger has been in England. The Gunners have finished above their nearest rivals in every season since 1994/95. It goes without saying that in that time Leicester haven't finished above Arsenal either.
1994/95
The last time Tottenham finished above Arsenal
ARSENAL FINISH STRONGLY
Arsenal seem to finish the season well, perhaps because often the pressure is off. Few are now backing them to win the title which means that the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey can play with the freedom they seem to so relish. Over the past three seasons they've collected over 20 points from their final 10 games. Tottenham haven't done that in any of the last five campaigns.
IN WENGER WE TRUST
It seems that fewer and fewer at Arsenal do actually trust Arsene Wenger, but the Frenchman has taken the Gunners to the title before and he believes he can do it again. But he's acting like a proper manager and focusing on nothing more than the next game. "A few weeks ago they told us we can win the league so everybody can change their position," he told Arsenal’s official website recently. "We have to win our games, especially at home. So our next game will be very important for us."
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