The Big Question: Is this finally going to be Arsenal's year?

Football writer Ben Bloom discusses whether Arsenal, after finishing second for three consecutive seasons, can go on to win the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.

What an October it was for Arsenal: the first English top-flight club ever to play six matches in a month and win them all without conceding.

Their lead at the top of the Premier League table is four points, while they have already built up a cushion of six to Manchester City and seven to reigning champions Liverpool – the two clubs expected to provide the greatest title challenge.

A solid defence? Check. A squad depth to deal with injuries? Check. A set-piece proficiency to navigate all manner of opposition? Check. Inconsistent rivals? Check, as evident in last weekend’s defeats for Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

A quarter of the way through the Premier League campaign, the signs are incredibly promising for Mikel Arteta's side, even if they have not been at their very best at all times.

So is this the season when they finally end their title drought? Is a first Premier League crown since 2003/04 incoming?

'This has got to be their year'

It is remarkable to think that, just five weeks ago, questions were posed as to whether Liverpool’s unblemished start to the season would result in them sauntering to retain their Premier League crown.

Arne Slot’s side have lost six of their seven matches since then – including all four in the league – to give the table an entirely different outlook.

Those travails, together with three defeats apiece for Man City and Chelsea, already suggest points tallies near the summit will be down this campaign.

Gary Neville, who was this week inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, suggests their rivals’ problems should see Arsenal’s consistency rewarded with the title.

"This has got to be their year," said Neville. "I’ve tipped Arsenal to win the league for the last three years - now four.

"They aren’t miles better than last year, but are repeating levels of consistency and that’s all they are going to have to do this year to win the league. They aren’t going to have to get 100 points, or even 90. High 80s will win the title. They can do that."

Of course, Arsenal supporters can be forgiven for feeling some sense of deja vu. In more than two decades since their club last won the title, the Gunners have spent almost 787 days at the top of the Premier League table without finishing the season there.

*Up to and including 31 October 2025

Hope has so often been followed by frustration. In 2022/23, they led for almost the entirety of the campaign, only to cede the title to Man City in the closing weeks of the season and finish second.

Those places were replicated the following campaign, as Arsenal were powerless to prevent Pep Guardiola’s side again overhauling them late on, courtesy of a 23-match unbeaten run.

Last season, Arsenal tracked Liverpool throughout but were unable to mount any concerted title charge as they took their run of second-place finishes to three successive seasons.

Wary of their recent history, Arteta has been understandably cautious when asked about his team’s title credentials.

Arsenal currently have 22 points. But, of the last six times they have earned 22 or more at this stage of a Premier League season, they have gone on to win the title just once, in 2003/04.

"We are where we are," said Arteta, who has this week been nominated for the Barclays October Manager of the Month award.

"It’s a credit to us because we’ve been very consistent, but knowing the difficulty of every match as well.

"It is early, so it doesn’t mean anything other than let’s keep doing a lot of things that we’re doing really well. But there are things to improve to give us better margins as well.

"You want to win big trophies, you certainly have to instil that feeling amongst the team, the club and around it, and we’re in a really good position at the moment. But we know how early it is and how difficult every game is."

Watch Arteta's pre-match thoughts ahead of Burnley match

Why this season could be different

Arsenal’s defensive statistics are astonishing - and there are lots of them. In 14 matches across all competitions this season, they have kept a mind-boggling 11 clean sheets, including in their last six games in a row. Across the last four matches David Raya has played, the goalkeeper has faced a combined total of just two shots on target.

By contrast, Liverpool conceded 11 goals in October alone, and Chelsea five over the past week.

Arteta’s side top the Premier League standings for goals conceded (three), clean sheets (six), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19), errors leading to goals (zero), big chances conceded (five) and opponent touches in their box (135).

The back five of Raya, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori have been unrivalled.

Strength in depth

Arsenal’s injury list has not been kind in the early stages of the season. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz have not been seen, captain Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke are currently sidelined, while Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Piero Hincapie and Christian Norgaard have all missed multiple matches.

However, the absences have hardly been felt, such is the squad strength Arsenal have accrued through a reported £250million outlay on new signings over the summer.

"This year, I feel we’re a very strong group and we’ve got a lot of quality," Saka told Sky Sports last week.

"We’ve suffered a lot of injuries already, but the players that have come in have shown that we can all keep the level at the highest, and that’s what it’s going to take for us to go all the way.

"I think that's where we’ve slipped off in a few seasons, but this season we’ve got that and it’s making me really believe we can do it."

Finding a way

A frequent complaint from Liverpool head coach Slot this season has been the opponents’ stifling tactics when playing against his team, deploying a low block and prioritising long balls.

Yet while the reigning champions have frequently struggled to overcome such tactics, Arsenal have found no problem breaking down similar setups and finding ways to score.

Arteta’s side have happily become the kings of set-pieces, with 11 of their 16 league goals coming from dead-ball situations. Not only is that two more than any other side, but it is the highest ratio by any team in a single Premier League season.

Watch Arsenal's set-piece goal v Crystal Palace

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher picked out Arsenal centre-back Gabriel as the "most influential player in the Premier League right now", leading the team’s ability to defend against set-pieces, while also weighing in with goals of his own.

"It feels like set-pieces are going to continue to be a big theme," said Carragher on Sky Sports. "There is no team more primed to win the Premier League if this is the way the league is going.

"This Arsenal team have been built to cope with situations like this, in terms of the height of the team and their power. For a long time, I’ve said Arteta has been trying to win the league like a Jose Mourinho team. There is nothing wrong with that. The most important thing is winning.

"Gabriel is the leader. He’s a colossus at the back and the best set-piece threat. This happens every game. He’s the best defender in a team that produces the best defensive numbers."

Despite starting every match, striker Viktor Gyokeres has scored only three Premier League goals in his debut Arsenal season. But that has been no impediment to Arteta’s side. With 11 people finding the net this term, they top the charts for number of different Premier League goalscorers.

No more 'nearly men'

Anticipation should justifiably be high around Emirates Stadium right now. But recent history will not stop doubts from creeping in.

Past seasons mean there are understandable reservations over the team’s ability to last the distance; whether they can handle the sustained pressure that comes with leading from the front remains to be seen.

As Arteta, Saka and others within the Arsenal camp have been quick to point out, it is still incredibly early days in the campaign.

"It’s a big opportunity that we have ahead of us, but we have to continue with that level of consistency and we know how difficult that is," said Arteta ahead of Saturday’s trip to Burnley, where he could be without Saliba.

The Gunners then travel to high-flying Sunderland - who have yet to lose at home this season - and face back-to-back London derbies against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

Arsenal also have UEFA Champions League engagements, while progression to the EFL Cup quarter-finals has further condensed the calendar. Six matches in November and a potential eight in December will test the resilience of their squad depth.

But it is the inconsistency and inexperience of their main title challengers that suggests this may well be Arsenal’s year.

Liverpool are on a dreadful run and face Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Man City over the next week. Man City are heavily reliant on Erling Haaland, Chelsea blow extraordinarily hot and cold, Spurs are fragile, Manchester United are largely inconsistent, while AFC Bournemouth and Sunderland will do brilliantly well to even sustain their current top-four positions.

"Arsenal are reliable, you can trust them," said Neville. "This is your title, Arsenal. I’ve never really felt that sure before, it’s so early in the season, but it really is [yours].

"That’s not being overconfident, or placing pressure. Arsenal must feel it themselves. This is the moment Arsenal can get back to [winning the title]. The chance is there for them; they have to take it."