Can Arsenal Win The Premier League This Season?

When Arsenal sold top goalscorer and talismanic captain Robin van Persie this summer, many pundits, including this one, expected the Gunners to fade into obscurity and finish this season as also-rans. And when the goals appeared to have dried up in their first two games of the season, which both ended 0-0, this criticism appeared to have been justified. No Robin van Persie, no goals, they said. Then came a comfortable two nil win against Liverpool as Arsenal finally found the back of the net, before the floodgates well and truly opened as the Gunners crushed Southampton 6-1. With eight points gained from their first four matches, along with the fact that they are unbeaten in the league and have conceded just once, all of a sudden there is talk that Arsenal can launch a serious assault on the title this season. But let's not get ahead of ourselves too much. Arsenal fans have had a palpable whiff of silverware wafting into their nostrils before only to watch on in dismay as their side snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, just like in February 2011 when the Gunners somehow contrived to lose the Carling Cup final to Birmingham City after taking the lead only to concede a second killer goal in the 89th minute. Fair enough, Arsene Wenger isn't getting too carried away himself - at least not in public anyway. He even warned in his post-match interview after his sides routing of Southampton that it would be the games against the "bigger teams" that would determine whether his side would sink or swim this season. It won't be long until he finds out whether Arsenal can compete against the elite either, because the next two Premier League fixtures for his side are against Premier League Champions Manchester City and European Champions Chelsea. Speaking after his sides win yesterday, Wenger was quoted by the Mail Online as saying:

'It will be important to see how we do against the bigger teams - It will be interesting. It will be a test against Manchester City, but for us the most important part will be to maintain our level of performance that we showed against Southampton and go from game to game.'

And he's right. It is the games against the so called "big teams" that will help shape Arsenal's season, and his side must improve on the dismal return of last season against the teams around them. Out of six games against the teams who finished in the top four last season, Arsenal lost 4 and won 2. That included the home and away defeats to Manchester United - including that 8-2 annihilation - the 2-1 away loss to London rivals Tottenham, and the 1-0 away defeat to Manchester City. Simply put, Arsenal have to improve their record against the big clubs if they are to be in with a title shout this season. It isn't enough to give the likes of Southampton a good stuffing if you're then going to lose to a title rival a week later. What Arsenal need is consistency - beat Man City next week, and follow that up with a decent result against Chelsea, and the Gunners will well and truly be in the title mix up. Lose one or two, and it's back to square one.