As reported by Express, Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal have the best chance of competing against Premier League’s top dogs in Manchester City and Liverpool this season. The Frenchman believes that his former employers currently have the least amount of problems compared to other teams.
Hence, he feels the Gunners have a great chance of sparring with the top two this campaign. In this article, however, we will discuss a couple of reasons why Wenger might actually be wrong here.
A lacklustre defence
What makes Manchester City and Liverpool such strong teams is their solidity at the back. These two teams conceded only 23 and 22 goals respectively last season. Arsenal, meanwhile, have conceded more goals than any other side in the top six so far this campaign.
The Gunners had to deal with the departure of two experienced defenders in Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal while Petr Cech retired from football. They did sign David Luiz from Chelsea. But, the Brazilian has had a rough start to his life at the Emirates. As for Sokratis, he too has failed to provide any solidity at the back.
The north London giants have looked extremely complacent during defensive phases. Especially against a well-drilled possession-based side, they have struggled to remain organised and have often let wingers make darting runs in behind the defence.
Injuries
Injuries were one of the main reasons behind Arsenal’s demise last season. This season has been no different either. First and foremost, first-choice right-back Hector Bellerin is out with a knee problem while Kieran Tierney is also sidelined. The Scot, who has signed from Celtic, is suffering from a groin injury.
Elsewhere, the young defensive duo of Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos, just like last season, have been ruled out to the sideline. Holding is lacking match fitness while Mavropanos has a groin problem. In addition to this, star striker Alexandre Lacazette picked up a little knock against Spurs. Even Joe Willock had to withdraw from the England Under-21 squad due to a calf problem.
These injury setbacks to key performers could have a grave impact in their bid to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, who have excellent squad depth. It is quite clear that Unai Emery needs more time to integrate his tactics and plan into the Arsenal setup. Thus, achieving a top-four finish should be a more realistic target for the Gunners this season.
