Going into the World Cup five points clear at the summit of the Premier League table is something mainly associated with Manchester City.

However, this season is one of an anomaly.

After finishing just outside of the top four in the 2021-22 campaign, very few would have predicted Arsenal to be performing as well as they have been the past five months.

But these results haven’t been by coincidence.

Here, OLIVER JOHNSON examines what has gone well for the Gunners....

1 – Sticking with Arteta

It cannot be denied that Mikel Arteta has received serious scrutiny during his time as Arsenal manager, but rightly so, it has now died down. Previous seasons have not yielded the desired results for where the club should be, given its stature. Two consecutive eighth place finishes in 2019-20 and 2021-21 were well below expectations and fifth last season was also a disappointment given the fact they were beaten to a Champion’s League place by rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea were in a similar situation but are now worse off than the Gunners – the main reason for this being their frequent chopping and changing of managers. Arsenal bestowing their trust in Arteta came good in the end as now he has built his squad to his liking and got rid of the deadwood, the relationships within the club are like no other.

2 – New Signings

Gaspar, the Arsenal sporting director, has also played a significant part in improving the squad this season. The idea of retaining William Saliba was a bold one, but a worthwhile one nonetheless. The French No.12 has revolutionised the Gunners’ defence, slotting into the right centre-back position perfectly. This has also allowed Ben White to move into right-back, where he has excelled filling in for the injured Takehiro Tomiyasu. He continues his fine form ahead of his return to the Amex and has clearly not lost any confidence after his separation from England’s World Cup squad. At first, people were sceptical of his £50million price tag, but he has shown the critics that he was well worth the money. Similarly, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been flourishing under the new Arsenal system too. Their departure from Manchester City was a blessing for Arsenal, as they snatched two of their most consistent performers and have utilized them greatly.

3 – Style of Play

The Gunners’ squad is jam-packed with technical ability. The manager’s idea Is to be able to play out from the back as opposed to long balls directly to the forwards. It all starts with Aaron Ramsdale. His distribution and ability to play difficult passes is top tier and is what gave him the edge over ex goalkeeper Bernd Leno. When the ball reaches midfield, you know it is in safe hands. Thomas Partey as a lone No.6 is excellent at ball retention and can easily pick a through pass to the wingers when required. Granit Xhaka has transformed into a goalscoring No.8 at the wish of Arteta. It looked as though he had his bags packed before, but now is pivotal to how well Arsenal are playing. Martin Odegaard as well is tremendous: Close dribbling, incredible vision, the ability to score and he does all of this with lots of added flair too.

4 – Young but experienced attacking players

Arsenal have one of the most promising front threes in world football – Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus. All three earned a place at the World Cup, outlining how they have impressed this season. Saka specifically scored a brace on his WC debut and then another in the Round of 16 against Senegal. In the Premier League, he has 11 goal contributions this season (5G/6A) and can drive at players, beat them, and then produce a chance at the end. He has great strength for his age and has shown he can ride challenges well. Martinelli is the same, with immaculate close control in tight spaces. Gabriel Jesus however is the glue to the front three. Constantly making dangerous, incisive runs is one thing but his link up play is fantastic also. On his home debut in the Premier League for Arsenal he had two goals and two assists, proving to the fans he is not here to play around. Unfortunately , he had to undergo knee surgery after an injury at the World Cup and is out for three months, so lets wait and see if Eddie Nketiah can take up his role just as well.

5 – Support

Speaking from experience, the home support at the Emirates this season is immense. During the Arsenal vs Leicester game in August, Saliba headed into his own net while attempting to halt Jamie Vardy having a goalscoring opportunity. The crowd instantly were all behind him. The volume was surreal, loudest they had been all day. They were all in support of him, chanting his name and cheering anytime he received the ball. It is obvious to see how much of a part the fans play in terms of the squads’ confidence. Every player gives their all for the club and it doesn’t go unnoticed. Players feel connected with the fans and there is not a single instance which has hinted at any tensions.

Granit Xhaka is now a favourite amongst the supporters, despite his controversies in the past, and the love for the youngsters is tremendous. Saka deserves a mention again, as after the Euro 2020 final, he was subjected to racism and abuse as a result of missing the decisive penalty. He returned to London Colney with a literal ‘wall of support’. Thousands of fans had collectively written letters and drawn pictures illustrating their love for the 21-year-old. Acts like these positively impact the happiness and therefore confidence of the player – incentivizing them further to perform in the future.