As the 2024/25 Premier League season approaches, fans of English football find themselves wondering whether a new dawn is on the horizon. Ever since Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City back in 2016, the Blues have emerged into the country’s latest dynasty. They have picked up six titles under the iconic Spaniard including the last four on the bounce. But the reemergence of a former giant now threatens their throne.
In each of the last two seasons, Arsenal have pushed City all the way, finishing as runners-up on both occasions and taking last season’s title race down to the final game of the campaign. The Gunners haven’t won the Premier League since Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles comped to glory back in 2004.
Since then, a longer-than-anticipated period of rebuilding has taken place, firstly to repay the loans taken out to build the Emirates Stadium, and then footballing mediocrity took over. Now, North London is a fortress once more, and the latest odds from the online sportsbook at Bovada make Arsenal a short-priced +175 favorite in the betting charts. But will that be enough to topple Guardiola’s unstoppable winning machine?
Arsenal’s Rebuild Finally Complete?
One of the key elements fueling Arsenal’s ambition to dethrone Manchester City is their recent rebuild under Mikel Arteta. The former Everton midfielder was Guardiola’s right-hand man during his first few years in charge at the Etihad, and he was ultimately given the reigns to the Emirates to replace the underwhelming Unai Emery. He has shifted on the likes of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Alexandre Lacazette, replacing them with young and hungry stars determined to succeed.
Academy product Bukayo Saka has risen to the fore, becoming a feared force cutting inside from the right-hand touchline both for club and country, as he displayed in England’s run to the recent Euro 2024 final. Three Lions compatriot Declan Rice joined the club last summer from London rivals West Ham United for a whopping £100m, and he looked to be the missing piece of the puzzle after several blockbuster displays in the middle of the park last term.
But two of England’s finest aren’t the only reasons why the Gunners are a team to be feared. William Saliba was arguably the finest defender at this summer’s European Championships while captain Martin Odegaard is arguably the finest playmaker in the league – perhaps only bettered by Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne. Add to that the Brazilian duo of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhães, and Arsenal ooze quality all over the park.
Attack Minded Backline
Arsenal’s tactical changes on the field are another aspect that could play a crucial role in their quest this term. The team has been working tirelessly on improving their defensive solidity while maintaining an attacking flair that can break through even the most formidable defenses. last term they played with an attack-minded back four, with the solidity provided by Saliba and Gabriel allowing fullbacks Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White to push into midfield and provide more creative options.
One would think that playing in such an attacking manner would cause the backline to leak more goals, but the opposite has been the case. Their more attack-minded nature has allowed them to press higher up the pitch and the result was conceding just 29 goals last term, five fewer than the eventual champions and ultimately, the lowest in the entire league.
Manchester City’s Formidable Legacy
While Arsenal’s aspirations are lofty and their list of improvements is never-ending, their task remains the toughest in all of Europe, somehow toppling a Manchester City side at the peak of its powers. The Blues are unquestionably the dominant force in English football. They have overcome the challenge of the greatest Liverpool team in a generation on three separate occasions, and have now twice defeated a reborn Arsenal. Add to that turning away the challenge of a Jose Mourinho-powered Manchester United, and it’s safe to say that the Blues have done it all.
In Erling Haaland, they have the best out-and-out striker on the planet. Feeding him is the finest midfielder the Premier League has ever seen in the form of Kevin De Bruyne. Phil Foden was another in scintillating form last term as he scooped the PFA Player of the Year award, and the list of illustrious names doesn’t end there.
City have quality all over the pitch. Kyle Walker continues to defy father time and hasn’t lost an inch of his speed despite being 34. John Stones’s new role in which he marauds into midfield has opened up other avenues for his manager, while underrated winger Bernardo Silva continues to dazzle. Toppling the Blues certainly will be no easy feat.
The Emirates Cauldron
The unwavering support of the Emirates faithful was without a doubt the club’s twelfth man last season. The Gunners fanbase has often come in for criticism, be it for empty seats during the club’s dark days or for the much-maligned Arsenal Fan TV. However, there can be no denying that the atmosphere in North London is another thing that has transformed along with the club’s fortunes in recent years.
Last season, the atmosphere at the Emirates was electric. The scenes that followed late winners such as Declan Rice’s goal against Manchester United and Gabriel Martinelli’s 86th-minute strike against the champions had to be seen to be believed. That unwavering support will be essential once more next term if the Gunners are to get over the finish line as champions for the first time in 21 years.
