Arsenal have an EIGHT point lead in the league… but can they reach Mikel Arteta’s 90-point target?
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Do Arsenal need to get to 90 points in their fight for the Premier League title? 100 percent, according to Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners cruised to a 2-0 win over local rivals Tottenham in Sunday’s north London derby and extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points as a result.
And then the Arsenal boss said he doesn’t want to “do too many calculations” about his title bid, saying he would prefer to focus on his next test against in-form Man United.
Luckily here at sports mailwe’re happy to do the math and have figured out the probability of Arsenal reaching the 90-point tally, assessing the factors that might prevent them from doing so.
Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points after the win over Tottenham
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta called his side to reach a season-ending 90-point tally.
CAN YOU REACH 90 POINTS?
After the Arsenal manager called his side to reach a total of 90 points this season, it only makes sense to assess the current probability of that happening.
The Gunners currently sit at the top of the Premier League table with an impressive tally of 47 points after 18 games played in the season, failing to win in only three league games.
They have 20 games left in the top flight, six of which will face major opponents such as Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Man City, whom they will have to play twice.
If Arteta’s side win all of their other matches, the North London side would find themselves on 89 points, adding 42 points to their current 47, before facing either of the aforementioned teams.
Arsenal will have to play both Manchester clubs before the end of the league season
That means the Gunners would need to secure just one point from those six games to reach a total of 90 points for the season.
However, Man United are the only team to hand Arteta’s team a domestic defeat this season, and Newcastle were the only team to prevent the Gunners from scoring during their 0-0 draw this month, which will raise concern for the Arsenal.
And it should be noted that the Gunners could fail in some of their other remaining matches with tough visits to Aston Villa, West Ham and Fulham still to come.
However, with the 90-point tally seemingly very achievable for the Gunners, what factors could define whether or not they reach the milestone?
Arsenal players celebrate the first goal of the derby against Tottenham Hotspur
THE RETURN OF JESUS
At the start of the season, Arsenal’s success seemed synonymous with the form of striker Gabriel Jesus. If he played well, they played well.
The Brazilian notched three goals and three assists in his first five Premier League games for the Gunners, helping launch their title bid early in the season.
However, since scoring against Aston Villa in August, the international striker has only managed to find the back of the net twice before picking up an injury for Brazil.
Although his absence from the squad doesn’t appear to have derailed Arsenal’s title fight, it remains to be seen how long they can rely on Jesus understudy Eddie Nketiah.
Hitman Gabriel Jesus had been in prolific form for Arsenal before picking up an injury in Qatar
The striker has only two goals in the domestic top flight this season and cannot be trusted to lead the Gunners to a title win ahead of Man City or Man United.
Arteta confirmed that the Brazilian Jesús is still “far away” from returning after his knee operation, which may lead the “Gunners” to act in the transfer market.
Either way, the Gunners are desperately hoping their star forward can return from injury before the end of the season, and help fuel a 90-point tally.
Eddie Nketiah (pictured) has joined Arsenal in place of injured striker Gabriel Jesus
A FOCUS ON PREM
As well as their top-flight form, the Gunners’ title fight will be boosted by their form – and that of their rivals – in other competitions this season.
By qualifying top of their Europa League group, Arsenal have avoided playing an extra game in the competition, which teams like Man United will have to do.
The Red Devils will not be able to rest any of their star players next month after facing Spanish leaders Barcelona in the next round of the tournament.
Arsenal, for their part, will have the opportunity for their players to recover from their programming break and their elimination from the Carabao Cup.
This means that Arteta’s sole focus, for the coming months, will be on keeping Arsenal competitive in the Premier League and FA Cup.
They have drawn with Man City in the latter and are due to play the tie at the end of this month, but they are likely to sacrifice the clash to prioritize a league title push.
The good form of the Gunners in the Europa League has led them to have fewer games in the year
HISTORY SAYS GUNNERS CAN FIGHT
Despite Arsenal’s impressive form this year, history suggests the Gunners tend to make mistakes at the most crucial point of the season.
During the 2015-16 campaign, which Leicester ended up winning, Arsenal were top of the Premier League table at the start of the new year, just like this season.
A few months later, they secured a second league win over the Foxes, meaning they took six points from the eventual champions, to seemingly ignite their title charge.
Danny Welbeck scored a 90th-minute winner against Leicester in their pivotal game in 2016
The Gunners were in a solid position in the table, but after their triumph, they were beaten 3-2 by Manchester United, where Marcus Rashford scored twice on his Premier League debut.
They then went down to a 2-1 defeat against a struggling Swansea side, essentially making their big win over Leicester meaningless.
Rivals Tottenham ended up providing Leicester with a title challenge as the Gunners’ form declined significantly at the end of the year.
Arsenal fans, players and even staff are hoping their upcoming clash against Man United on Sunday afternoon doesn’t derail their title run, just like it did in 2016.
Erik ten Hag’s side will be looking to hand Arsenal their second loss of the season on Sunday.