Do Arsenal need to reach 90 points in their push for the Premier League title? 100 per cent, according to Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners cruised to a 2-0 victory over local rivals Tottenham in Sunday’s north London derby and, as a result, extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points.
And afterwards, the Arsenal boss said he doesn’t want to ‘do too many calculations’ over their title bid and said he would rather focus on their upcoming test against in-form Man United.
Luckily, here at Sportsmail, we’re happy to do the calculations and have figured out the likelihood of Arsenal reaching the 90-point tally, assessing the factors that could prevent them from doing so.
Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points after victory over Tottenham
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta called on his side to reach a 90-point tally by the end of the season
CAN THEY REACH 90 POINTS?
After the Arsenal coach called on his side to meet a 90-point total this season, it only makes sense to assess the current likelihood of that occurring.
The Gunners currently sit top of the Premier League table with an impressive tally of 47 points after 18 matches played in the season – having only failed to win in three league games.
They have 20 matches remaining in the top-flight, with six of those coming against significant opponents such as Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Man City – who they will have to play twice.
Should Arteta’s side win all of their other fixtures, the north London outfit would find themselves on 89 points – adding 42 points to their current 47 – prior to facing any of the aforementioned teams.
Arsenal will have to play against both Manchester clubs before the league season ends
That means that the Gunners would need to secure just one point from those six games in order to reach a 90-point tally for the campaign.
However, Man United are the only team to have dealt Arteta’s side a domestic defeat this term, and Newcastle were the only side to prevent the Gunners from scoring during their 0-0 draw this month, which will raise concern for Arsenal.
And it should be noted that the Gunners could potentially slip up in some of their other remaining fixtures with tough visits to Aston Villa, West Ham and Fulham all still to come.
However, with the 90-point tally seemingly very achievable for the Gunners, what factors could define whether they reach the milestone or not?
The Arsenal players celebrate the opening goal in their derby clash with Tottenham Hotspur
THE RETURN OF JESUS
At the start of the season, Arsenal’s success seemed synonymous with the form of striker Gabriel Jesus. If he played well, they played well.
The Brazilian notched three goals and three assists in his opening five Premier League fixtures for the Gunners – helping launch their title bid early into the season.
However, since scoring against Aston Villa in August, the international striker only managed to find the back of the net twice before getting injured with Brazil.
Although his absence from the squad hasn’t seemed to derail Arsenal’s title charge, it remains to be seen how long they can rely on Jesus’ understudy, Eddie Nketiah.
Hitman Gabriel Jesus had been in prolific form for Arsenal prior to picking up an injury in Qatar
The forward only has two goals in the domestic top flight this season and can hardly be trusted to fire the Gunners to a title victory ahead of Man City or Man United.
Arteta confirmed that Brazilian Jesus is still ‘far away’ from a return following his knee surgery, which may lead the Gunners to acting in the transfer market.
Either way, the Gunners will be desperately hoping that their star striker can make a return from injury prior to the season’s end – and help push for a 90-point tally.
Eddie Nketiah (pictured) has stepped up for Arsenal in-place of injured forward Gabriel Jesus
A FOCUS ON THE PREM
On top of their form in the top flight, the Gunners’ title charge will be boosted by theirs – and their rivals’ – form in other competitions this season.
By qualifying top of their Europa League group, Arsenal have avoided playing an extra game in the competition – which teams like Man United will have to do.
The Red Devils won’t be able to rest any of their star players next month after being drawn against Spanish leaders Barcelona in the next round of the tournament.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will have an opportunity for their player’s to recover due to their break in scheduling and because of their elimination from the Carabao Cup.
This means that Arteta’s only focus, for the upcoming months, will be maintaining Arsenal’s competitiveness in the Premier League and the FA Cup.
They’ve drawn Man City in the latter and are due to play the tie at the end of this month – but could likely sacrifice the clash to prioritise a push for the league title.
The Gunners’ strong form in the Europa League has led to fewer fixtures for them in the year
HISTORY SAYS GUNNERS MAY STRUGGLE
Despite Arsenal’s impressive form this year, history would suggest that the Gunners have a tendency to slip-up at the most crucial point in the season.
During the 2015-16 campaign – which Leicester ended up winning – Arsenal were sat top of the Premier League table at the start of the new year – just like this season.
A few months later, they secured a second league win over the Foxes – meaning they’d taken six points off the eventual champions – to seemingly spark their title charge.
Danny Welbeck scored a 90th minute winner against Leicester in their crucial match in 2016
The Gunners were in a strong position in the table but after their triumph, they were beaten 3-2 by Manchester United – where Marcus Rashford scored a brace on his Premier League debut.
They then fell to a 2-1 defeat against a struggling Swansea side, which essentially rendered their massive win over Leicester pointless.
Rivals Tottenham ended up providing Leicester with a title challenge, as the Gunners’ form significantly dropped off in the tail-end of the year.
Arsenal fans, players and even staff will be hoping that their upcoming Man United clash on Sunday afternoon doesn’t derail their title charge – just like in 2016.
Erik ten Hag’s side will be looking to deal Arsenal their second defeat of the season on Sunday.
source: dailymail.co.uk
