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Arsenal currently hold a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League, with a crucial game pending over their nearest rival Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta believes his burgeoning side, who will reach 100 points if their career spans 38 games, will likely need to rack up 90-plus to have a chance of winning their first Premier League title since Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles in 2003/ 04.
sports mail take a look at the factors that will come into play as Arsenal look to continue on their current path, how many points they have previously needed to win the Premier League and how Arteta’s teams have fared during his tenure.
Fresh off a 3-2 win against rivals Manchester United, the Gunners are poised to win the title.
Who does Arsenal play in the match?
Arsenal’s only loss this season was away to Man United in September
Arsenal have already faced some severe tests away from home this season, including Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea. However, there are some important tests ahead.
Mikel Arteta’s men are due to play Manchester City twice, on February 15 (H) and April 26 (A), before some challenging days away from home.
Anfield, the site of many a hideout, awaits. A trip to what is sure to be a fiery Goodison Park is Arsenal’s next game after the FA Cup break, before Newcastle host the Gunners in the first week of May.
London enemies Fulham and West Ham could also crash the party in the coming months.
April is shaping up to be the most crucial of months for the Gunners with trips to Liverpool, West Ham and Manchester City.
Just three days after the all-important clash at the Etihad, Chelsea arrive at the Emirates.
If Arsenal want to make it through the penultimate month, they could be on their way to glory.
May, Newcastle aside, seems to be quite favorable with Brighton (H), Nottingham Forest (A) and Wolves (H) in Arsenal’s last three games.
With Tottenham and Manchester United out of the way, there is reason for optimism going into the second half of the season.
Having lost one game so far this season, there should be no cause for fear of any kind, regardless of which venue or club Arsenal face.
Winning tallies of previous titles
The 90-point mark is believed to be enough for Arsenal to clinch the league this season, and rightly so.
Historically, only 11 of the Premier League’s 30 title-winning teams have lifted the trophy with more than 90 points. Although in recent years, it’s been a borderline necessity, just ask Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.
Manchester City, in a recent rarity, came into 2020/21 when Liverpool fell off a cliff, racking up 86 points with a final 12-point buffer over Manchester United.
Since Leicester’s triumph in 2015/16, City’s 2020 squad are the only club to win without catching up with the famous figure, with five of the last six title winners amassing over 90 points. The five winning totals above are 93, 86, 99, 98, and 100 respectively.
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City seek their third straight title and fifth in six years
How many points can Arsenal get?
In theory, Arsenal can achieve a maximum of 107 points in the 2022/23 Premier League season.
That is, if they won the remaining 19 games. Such a tally would break Manchester City’s current points record of 100.
For Arsenal to match City, the Gunners must maintain their record through the first 19 games of the campaign. So far, the north London club have won 16, drawn two and lost one.
Arsenal have shown great skill and strength both at home and away to the Emirates on 22/23
Naturally, there is a lot of excitement about how and when Arsenal could pick up points during the second half of the season. However, Mikel Arteta isn’t too concerned about getting the calculator out of him.
“I don’t want to do too many calculations,” he said immediately after the 2-0 win at Tottenham earlier this month.
“You ask me about points, but it has happened (90 points) in the last four or five seasons, so it will demand almost perfection.”
How Arsenal’s 2022/23 squad compares to Arteta’s previous teams
After failing to qualify for the Champions League following a spectacular collapse in the run-up to last season, Arsenal were not regarded as a real title contender in the summer. However, with half the season to play, they, at least currently, appear to be the most convincing of the best clubs.
The pressure mounted on Mikel Arteta when Spurs snatched the fourth and final Champions League place from under Arsenal’s nose at the end of 2021/22, but he has rewarded the faith that Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke and the board have placed in him. They have shown.
Arsenal’s rise to the top of the Premier League has taken time, but there has been a gradual progression in recent seasons. During Arteta’s first full season, in 2020/21, the Gunners finished eighth with 61 points.
Last season, Arsenal jumped to fifth place, racking up eight extra points. Although it was severely tarnished after missing out on the Champions League against Tottenham by two points.
Already this season, Arsenal have 50 points and would need seven wins in their next 19 to eclipse Arteta’s best season. If Arsenal can hold on, this season has been a surprising rise for the north London club.
Mikel Arteta has led Arsenal to a real title race against Guardiola’s vaunted Man City