Will Arsenal Finally Topple City This Season?

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Arsenal have been inching closer to Manchester City over the last couple of seasons, ending five points and then three points behind the Champions each time. The North London club has emerged as the key challenger to the Northwest giant, and it will be interesting to see if they can finally beat them this year.

With a few more incremental improvements from Mikel Arteta, 2024-25 could finally be the time for Arsenal to usurp City.

Arsenal Tipped for Title Challenge

According to the preseason Premier League betting odds, Arsenal can be backed at 7/4 to win the league this term. This puts them as second-favorites for the title, behind City at 13/10. Liverpool and Chelsea are considered the next closest challengers and can be backed at 13/2 and 14/1 respectively.

It’s clear that the Premier League 2024/25 title odds are currently predicting a two horse race in the top flight this term. City have had an incredible run of four seasons as champions and have won six of the last seven titles. It has been hard for anyone to get close in recent years, but Arsenal have started to become a thorn in the side of Pep Guardiola and his charges.

Incremental Improvements for Arteta

Arteta has now spent almost five full seasons at Arsenal and there have been incremental changes throughout that time. In 2022, the Spaniard became the second-quickest Arsenal manager to achieve 50 wins in the Premier League after Arsène Wenger, and this moment acted as a defining part of the former player’s legacy. It was from then on, that the Gunners started to regain their stature as one of the top clubs in England.

One of the main reasons for Arsenal’s recent success has been down to Arteta’s shrewd tactical evolution. The former Guardiola apprentice switched to a fluid 4-3-3 with flexibility and interchangeability among players. There’s no doubt that the tactician has also managed to get the best out of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz since they moved to the Emirates last term.

Arsenal’s defensive record has also been impeccable, with the strong center-back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães contributing to the team’s 18 clean sheets last time out. The Gunners have gradually increased their squad depth with various clever signings and are slowly getting into a position in which they can take City all the way to the wire.

Other Teams in Transition

Arsenal can take advantage of the fact that the other major title challengers are in periods of transition. Liverpool will go into their first campaign without Jürgen Klopp in the dugout since 2015, and there is uncertainty over whether his successor, Arne Slot will hit the ground running.

Chelsea have also welcomed a new manager in Enzo Maresca, who is the sixth different man to take charge in the last five years. The Blues will be hoping for a change of fortunes under the new boss, but it could take some time for his methods to take effect.

It feels like Arsenal are getting ever closer to finally taking down City, and there’s no doubt that they will be up there challenging again this season. While still considered outsiders for the title, it could finally be the time to bet on them to get the better of Guardiola’s side.