An easy ride? Fortunate with injuries, rivals’ form dipping, refereeing decisions going our way and even suggestions some teams haven’t taken Arsenal seriously.
You might have seen similar descriptions of the Gunners’ title-challenging season from pundits, commentators or perhaps just rival fans, while surfing social media or watching some analysis of the club’s campaign. Despite the current eight-point lead at the top, strong form and brilliantly aesthetically pleasing football, the Gunners continue to receive criticism and are labelled as somehow ‘lucky’ or 'fortunate' to be in the position they are.
We are, admittedly, a reactive bunch us Arsenal fans hence why you’re reading this and more importantly why I, a lifelong Gooner, am writing it in response to all of these frankly ludicrous suggestions. And they are just that, ludicrous, because when you consider the season Arsenal have had, not only have they been at times incredibly unfortunate but the process that has seen them rise to the head of the Premier League table is one deserving of massive credit.
READ MORE: Aaron Ramsdale admitted Liverpool 'YNWA' tactic unlikely to be repeated in next Arsenal training
Injury luck?
Let’s start with the injuries. The Premier League has seen some major injury crises at clubs including Liverpool as their title defence suddenly crumbled to just clawing their way into the top four while Chelsea too have suffered major issues with players like N’Golo Kante at the worst possible times.
However, to suggest Arsenal have been fortunate with injuries is just plain wrong. For starters, super summer signing Gabriel Jesus has missed roughly half of the season due to the necessity for knee surgery after suffering a ligament tear in Qatar.
The Brazilian was replaced first by Eddie Nketiah, a striker who many had already written off, like the Gunners' title chances at the instant Jesus was injured. But the newly-numbered ‘14’ scored four goals in big games including two against Manchester United. Nketiah now finds himself out, having suffered an ankle issue prior to Jesus’ return, leaving Arsenal briefly without a natural striker which both Gabriel Martinelli and new-boy Leandro Trossard covered excellently.
Arsenal’s backup to Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, has missed the majority of the season with both hamstring and knee issues; both being long-term which pushed the Gunners to try to sign a top midfielder in January and thankfully secured Jorginho who has replaced Partey on a number of occasions very competently, most notably helping beat Aston Villa with a late strike that produced one of the few genuine moments of fortune off Emi Martinez’s head – wasn’t that a joyous thing of beauty?
Speaking of Partey, having hardly suffered an injury at Atletico Madrid the Ghanaian has faced persistent fitness issues and this season was no different. He missed the trip to Old Trafford earlier in the campaign and the home clash with Manchester City too - both games the Gunners lost.
Emile Smith Rowe was absent for the majority of the first half of the season and remains battling to return from his groin surgery with minutes hard to come by. While another summer signing Oleksandr Zinchenko, credited with transforming Mikel Arteta’s approach, was missing for ten games before the World Cup with both knee and calf problems.
Lastly, the run-in has now been hit with two key issues. Takehiro Tomiyasu underwent knee surgery leaving Arsenal with only Ben White at right-back to last until the end of the campaign.
William Saliba has suffered a back injury which will see him likely miss the trip to Anfield and potentially further games. White might have been the obvious choice to replace him but with Tomiyasu injured simultaneously, this was no longer possible.
Fortunate with injuries? Not in the slightest.
Refereeing mistakes
Let’s move on to the refereeing benefits Arsenal have supposedly got. Off the top of my head, there are a few moments that I remember that could be looked at as leaning in the favour of the Gunners.
The Gabriel Magalhães “handball” against Liverpool being the main one, although, according to the proximity laws, there is a reason behind it not being given. In the same game, Thiago was deemed to have committed a foul in the box that earned the Gunners their winning penalty which looked soft but certainly not game-breaking.
Perhaps my unconscious Arsenal brain has blocked out some of the other moments which supposedly went our way but even if they exist the stark contrast to what has gone against the club certainly hasn’t left my mind. Before getting into individual decisions, let’s first remember that two goals, one for and one against, that have seen PGMOL assess mistakes on the part of their referees either not awarding or not disallowing a goal which negatively impacted the club.
First, at Old Trafford, Gabriel Martinelli’s goal was ruled out by VAR after Martin Odegaard was deemed to have fouled Christian Eriksen in the build-up. An independent panel which included a Premier League and PGMOL representative deemed this to have been an error and the goal, which would have given Arsenal the lead, should have stood.
Secondly, PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb phoned Mikel Arteta to apologise after VAR official Lee Mason forgot to check a Brentford offside in Ivan Toney’s equaliser which saw the game end 1-1, potentially costing the Gunners two points. Mason later quit his role having already retired from on-field officiating in 2021.
Outside of these two confirmed mistakes, the Gunners have seen numerous contentious moments go against them. In the 0-0 draw with Newcastle United, Dan Burn could be seen grabbing hold of Gabriel Magalhaes' shirt to the point the Emirates sponsorship had wrapped behind the Brazilian’s head but no penalty was given.
In the 1-1 draw with Southampton, defender Lyanco was involved in numerous bad challenges and wasn’t booked until the 93rd minute despite being shown to grab Nketiah by the neck. It was a moment which in itself should've also seen the red card shown.
Former referee Mark Halsey said that he believed Jesus should have been awarded a penalty in the same game. The striker was hauled to the floor by Croatian defender Duje Caleta-Car but nothing was given; Arsenal were 1-0 up at the time but eventually dropped two points.
There are further examples in games where the Gunners ran out as winners and overcame the adversity of the controversial decisions. Yet in the end, it could be the games where points were dropped and confirmed mistakes were made that sees Arsenal punished in the league table come May.
Rivals and team-building
It has perhaps surprised many that despite the mega-spending of Chelsea and the pedigree of Liverpool that both clubs have suffered poor form this season. They have lost ten and nine games respectively already compared to the Gunners’ three and this has led to suggestions that Arsenal’s peak has come at a fortuitous moment.
To that, I say… so? There’s a good argument that Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, therefore, who have enjoyed great success in their league ambitions in the last decade-plus, have done so thanks to Arsenal’s own lack of competitiveness compared to their league-dominating status of the late 90s and early 00s.
There’s also the fact that we find ourselves in the midst of one of the most competitive league seasons on record. Teams in the bottom half are spending huge amounts of money and clubs like Newcastle, Brighton and Brentford have found form and quality additions to allow them to compete higher up the table.
Arsenal, despite these challenges, remain at the head of the league. Therefore it is a fair question to ask why the rhetoric is not to suggest the usual ‘Big Six's’ blues are more down to the improvement of the league’s other teams rather than simply their own poor performances - it of course can be a combination of both.
Focusing more so again on Arsenal, not only are they looking to try and beat a Manchester City side who have won four of the last five league titles and now have added arguably the best striker on the planet to their squad, but they’re trying to do it by growing, developing and following a premeditated pathway. Manager Arteta, sporting director Edu Gaspar and co-chairman Josh Kroenke have all worked with other executives at the club to build the current crop that has impressed so much.
With one of the youngest sides and coaches in the league, they’ve addressed dressing room issues, stylistic questions and fractures between the fan base and the club. All of these huge wins have combined to elevate the club to where it sits today.
Arsenal lead the league and could even win it despite the poor officiating decisions and presence of one of the most competitive league seasons to date and much thanks to the brilliant management and squad building of the people involved. Although these words might fall on deaf ears at least now it is clear to see and reference the achievement of this club during a brilliant campaign and that those in the red and white half of north London hope will continue into the future.
READ NEXT:
Three things that will 'definitely' happen to Arsenal if Julian Nagelsmann is appointed at Chelsea
William Saliba, Ben White: Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of Liverpool clash
Gary Neville explains the one reason why Arsenal are now title favourites ahead of Man City
Arsenal's three immediate options if Mikel Arteta is without William Saliba against Liverpool
