After 17 games of the season, Arsenal are at the summit of the table at Christmas.
They are also three points clear atop the Champions League having won every game in the competition – including defeats of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Will this consistency hold up, or will the pressure get to them in the months to come?
Facing Albion, whether home or away, is no easy task – particularly after drawing in both fixtures last season.
The best way to go about things for Arsenal is to focus entirely on the next game as if it’s a ‘cup final’ and to not get carried away.
Having finished runners-up three consecutive times prior, the Gunners must learn from past mistakes to ensure this year is finally theirs.
So far this campaign, recouping lost points has been a theme: Newcastle away, Fulham away and Crystal Palace at home are all fixtures which have returned a total of seven extra compared to last season. Now the squad have had more games to acclimatise to each other, Arsenal have so many different choices of techniques to face each individual opponent.
The addition of solid depth over the summer has played a massive part in this. Noni Madueke for instance brings a new unpredictability on the right side, as well as moving Saka over to the left to confuse opponents. So far in all competitions, Arsenal have fielded tendifferent backlines – a testament to the versatility of the squad.
The main thing that could derail Arsenal’s consistency this season are injuries. We have seen previously the devastating effect they have had, William Saliba back in March 2023 the most noteworthy. Already they have had to deal with major absentees, particularly in attack.
Prior to the signing of Gyokeres, both starting strikers being sidelined with ACL problems is horrid luck. More recently, Gabriel (arguably their player of the season so far), was forced off in an international match therefore causing him to still be out until now. It is inevitable that competing almost every three days in a total of four competitions takes its toll, but now Arsenal must find a way of rotating and managing minutes to ensure it does not get out of hand.
All in all, the frantic schedule and past trauma from Manchester City will all be on the minds of the Arsenal squad and fans alike, but after so many years of falling to it before, this may be the year their tunnel vision can propel them to triumph come May.
