Arsenal’s Title Challenge: A Season Analysis
A New Dawn, or the Same Old Story?
We are six weeks into the Unai Emery era, and already the question that will define his tenure is taking shape: can the new manager deliver what Arsène Wenger could not in his final years? Can Arsenal mount a genuine title challenge?
The honest answer, at this early stage, is that we simply do not know. But the signs are… intriguing. Emery’s Arsenal look different. They press higher. They defend deeper when required. They do not, as yet, play the sort of exhilarating attacking football that characterised Wenger’s best teams, but neither do they display the defensive fragility that blighted his worst. There is a pragmatism about this new Arsenal that is unfamiliar, and not entirely unwelcome.
The Squad: Assets and Liabilities
Emery inherited a squad of considerable talent and considerable imbalance. The attacking options are, by any standard, exceptional. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, signed in January 2018, is a centre-forward of genuine world-class quality — a finisher whose movement and pace can trouble any defence in the league. Alexandre Lacazette, alongside him, offers a different set of skills: link-up play, pressing from the front, and a clinical eye for goal that has been sharpened by his years in Ligue 1.
Mesut Özil remains the most gifted creative player at the club, capable of passes that exist in a dimension invisible to lesser footballers. Whether Emery can extract the consistent performances that eluded Wenger in Özil’s later seasons remains to be seen. The German’s enormous contract — reportedly the highest in the club’s history — demands production, and Emery does not seem like a manager inclined to carry passengers.
Behind the attack, the picture is less rosy. The central midfield lacks a dominant presence of the kind that Patrick Vieira once provided. Granit Xhaka is a player of obvious quality — his passing range is excellent, his shooting from distance a genuine weapon — but his positional discipline and defensive awareness continue to raise questions. Lucas Torreira, the Uruguayan summer signing, offers energy and tenacity, but at 5’6″ he is unlikely to provide the physical presence that the midfield craves.
The Defence: Still the Achilles Heel
And then there is the defence. Arsenal’s defensive problems have been so persistent, so thoroughly documented, and so stubbornly resistant to solution that they have become almost existential. Under Wenger, the back line was a source of permanent anxiety — a unit that could be cut open by a moderately ambitious long ball, let alone the incisive passing of the league’s better sides.
Emery has not yet solved this problem. Shkodran Mustafi continues to make errors that would be considered alarming in a Sunday league centre-back. Sokratis Papastathopoulos, signed from Dortmund, brings experience and aggression but a pace profile that is, charitably, concerning. Héctor Bellerín at right-back is an excellent attacking proposition but an inconsistent defensive one. The left-back position remains a matter of ongoing debate.
Petr Čech in goal is a legend, but a fading one. His struggles with the ball at his feet — an increasing requirement in Emery’s possession-based system — have been painful to watch. Bernd Leno, signed from Bayer Leverkusen, awaits his opportunity.
The Competition
The scale of Arsenal’s challenge becomes clear when one considers the competition. Manchester City, under Pep Guardiola, are the reigning champions and playing football of a quality that makes the rest of the league look amateurish. Liverpool, strengthened by the signings of Alisson and Fabinho, are genuine title contenders for the first time in years. Chelsea, under Maurizio Sarri, have begun the season brightly. Tottenham remain a formidable force. Even Manchester United, for all their dysfunction under José Mourinho, possess a squad of enormous individual talent.
Arsenal, realistically, are competing for a top-four finish rather than the title itself. The gap between the club’s current level and the standard set by City and Liverpool is significant, and closing it will require more than one transfer window and one set of pre-season training sessions. The managerial transition itself — from twenty-two years of Wenger to an entirely new philosophy — is a process that will take time.
Reasons for Optimism
Yet there are reasons for cautious hope. Emery’s record at Sevilla demonstrated his ability to build a competitive team without the resources of the super-clubs. His Europa League triumphs — three consecutive titles — were achieved through meticulous preparation, tactical flexibility, and an ability to get the maximum from his players. These are qualities that Arsenal have lacked in recent years.
The squad, for all its defensive frailties, contains genuine quality in the attacking third. If Emery can find a way to make Arsenal harder to beat without sacrificing the creative verve that has defined the club for decades, the results could be impressive. The early evidence suggests he is trying.
The Verdict: Not Yet, But Perhaps Soon
A title challenge this season? No. I do not believe so, and I suspect Emery would privately agree. The squad is not yet balanced enough, the defensive issues not yet resolved, the new manager’s ideas not yet fully embedded. But a return to the Champions League — secured through a top-four finish — is a realistic and necessary objective. Anything beyond that would be a bonus.
The longer-term picture is more encouraging. Emery is a serious coach with a serious plan, and the resources at Arsenal’s disposal — even in the post-Wenger financial landscape — are substantial. The title challenge will come. Whether it comes under Emery or his successor remains to be seen. But for the first time in several years, there is a sense of forward motion at the Emirates, and that, for now, is enough.