After years of hope that fizzled into near-misses, Arsenal feel different now, sharper, tougher, and frighteningly consistent.
Saturday’s 2-0 win at Burnley stretched their Premier League winning run to five and left the Gunners sitting seven points clear at the top, a lead that comes with the sort of calm authority supporters have been dreaming of for more than two decades.
Set-pieces turned into a scoring machine
Burnley arrived at Turf Moor as the archetype of defensive stubbornness, yet Arsenal found their edge where many teams don’t: dead-ball situations. The opener came from a corner, the latest in a campaign littered with set-piece strikes.
Those finishes aren’t just fortunate moments; they’re evidence of a planned, repeatable weapon one that converts tactical intent into tangible advantage and has made Arsenal uniquely dangerous in tight games.
Defence that feels impenetrable
You have to rewind to late September for the last goal Arsenal conceded in the league.
Since then, they’ve shut opponents out across seven consecutive matches in all competitions, a defensive run not seen at the club in over a century. It isn’t just luck: the backline is organised, compact, and increasingly uncompromising.
Opponents are finding fewer clear chances, and when matches require grit rather than glamour, this team supplies the bite.
Flexibility and steel in equal measure
This side is no longer one-dimensional. Mikel Arteta’s squad can stretch a game with slick positional overloads or dig in and scrap when the contest turns physical.
Young full-backs pushed high, intelligent center-backs who read the game, and midfielders who can toggle between control and confrontation — Arsenal now offer multiple ways to win, which makes them harder to solve.
Depth that answers absence
Summer spending has given Arsenal not just names but reliable backups. Even with key players on the sidelines, quality replacements step in without the team stalling. That kind of depth turns injuries from crisis into inconvenience and lets Arteta rotate without losing identity or momentum.
Rivals wobbling, opportunity widening
Timing has been Arsenal’s curse before; this season the calendar looks kinder.
Traditional challengers have dropped points with worrying regularity, and while historical patterns warn against premature celebrations, this feels like the clearest opening the club has had in years. Confidence is tangible in pundits’ voices and, crucially, inside the dressing room.
The verdict
There is still a long way to go, and the season will throw tests aplenty.
But Arsenal’s combination of set-piece ruthlessness, defensive resilience, tactical flexibility, and squad depth creates a team that is both difficult to beat and inventive enough to win the tight contests that decide titles.
For the first time in a generation, the question feels less like wishful thinking and more like a challenge daring Arsenal to seize it.
