Are Arsenal A Good Bet For The Title?

For most of this season Arsenal have looked more like troubling the Europa League than the trophy engravers - yet after winning five on the trot, Arsene Wenger's men may just be in with a sniff of the title.

In the 3-0 win against West Ham the Gunners looked fluid and like they could destroy a robust team from any angle in a way that we haven't seen for a long time. With Walcott now fit, Welbeck, Ozil, Ramsey, Cazorla, Sanchez and Giroud all beginning to look like they might click, it's not impossible to imagine the Gunners continuing their run for a while yet.

They're now just six points behind Chelsea, albeit with the blues having two games in hand. However one of those is tomorrow against Champions League chasing Southampton, who no one has found an easy prospect all season.

They certainly look a better bet than Manchester City, whose title charge appears to have got stuck in the Lancashire hills this evening.

The Gunners also have to face Chelsea - normally as source of grief for Arsene Wenger's men, but with the blues not quite looking the side that cruised through the autumn now, with a few more wins it could take on an entirely different complexion, if Arsenal can remain in touch. Could Arsenal finally shed the hoodoo Jose Mourinho teams have had over them? If it were a dead game you'd say almost certainly not, but if the pressure were entirely on a Chelsea team that have long been penciled in as champions, it might be a different matter.

There are just enough 'competitive' fixtures for a turn round to be a possibility, as both Arsenal and Chelsea will have to face Liverpool and Manchester United teams embroiled in a brutal scrap for fourth. In addition Chelsea have to go to Loftus Road - a gimme for other teams, but sure to be a West London war if QPR can bring cheer to a misreable season by ending their hated neighbours title hopes.

Could it be a turn round akin to the  great run-ins of 1997/98 and 2001/02. Almost certainly not - but at a best price of 40-1 on Oddschecker, they may well be worth a punt even if that price drops slightly, especially before Chelsea-Southampton.

Want To Really Improve England? Follow Chris Waddle's Logic And Abolish The Premier League

So here we are again and at the risk of being premature, let the recriminations begin, let a thousand fulminations of manufactured anger spring forth from the pens of the press pack and the FA arse-sheathing commence. England are useless once more and we can engage in our real national sport- debating why we're rubbish at football.

There is something fitting in the fact that the final act of the ‘golden generation’ against Uruguay has been to comprehensively instruct the next on the mechanics of failure. That hope was ignited by an all too brief glimpse of Rooney’s talents before an avoidable error by Gerard was a delicious end to the era that began with David Beckham’s appointment as captain at the start of the Millennium.

Now we look to the future - we’ll see the FA argue that this is why their ‘League 3’ scheme is necessary, despite the fact that young English players already play at a higher level than the one it suggests. 

One man got his criticisms in early, a ‘disappointed not angry’ Chris Waddle, who said:

“I’ll tell you what the biggest problem is when you think about it all – the Premier League. They have a product which they sell around the world. It’s entertaining but it’s doing our players no good whatsoever.

The FA's 'League Three' Plan Could Destroy 125 Years Of Football Heritage - It's Time To Say Enough's Enough

 Greg Dyke cutting the tape at Brentford, where he was once Chairman

So the FA commission has met, and come up with proposals to ensure that the England football team turn into world-beaters. The centrepiece of this is an attempt to create a new 'League Three' of Premier League B-Teams between League Two and the Conference, with these teams allowed to be promoted up the pyramid to League One.

What’s clear is that the problem it’s intended to solve is a very real one - young players who find themselves signed to top-tier clubs tend to be shut out of making first team appearances, hindering their chances of progressing to another glorious penalty defeat. Yet Greg Dyke’s proposals are at best a reward for terrible behaviour that misses the point – and at worst a folly that could entirely destroy the English game as we know it.

The Premier League and its clubs seem to regard the behaviour of Cartman from South Park towards his mum as a model – they behave badly and against the interests of the England team, then the FA offers to reward them by changing the rules to attempt to justify and mitigate their actions. Any suggestion that things shouldn’t work in their interest would no doubt be greeted with a “But Greg….” Followed by a tantrum after which they’d get what they want.

The Premier League's negotiating tactics

Yet to explore why this isn’t just a bad idea bounced around a boardroom one needs to go back to the start of the Premier League, the promises made and what’s happened since.

Sir Alex Ferguson's Greatest Achievement Is One Even Manchester United Fans Should View With Regret

In the end its unpredictability was strangely predictable – after the farrago around his previous attempt to retire in 2002 Sir Alex Ferguson was never going to announce his retirement in advance. 

Yet the announcement in some ways still comes as a shock; the end of an era, to use a phrase that will adorn social media networks and lazy hagiographies.

Despite his unprecedented success in the game, with only the combined total of Liverpool’s boot room boys competing as far as honours are concerned, Ferguson still is a polarising figure and one whose achievements have been difficult to love.

EXCLUCIVE: Mikel Arteta Calls On Arsenal To Beat Spurs To Champions League Spot To Reward 'Deserving Fans'

Recently I had the pleasure of a brief audience with Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, and the midfielder called upon his Arsenal team mates to “do it for the fans” Football Manager style when asked if finishing above Tottenham for a Champions League place would be extra pleasurable if it came at the expense of Spurs.

Speaking of the race for fourth, the combative Arsenal man said: “It's going to be tough but it's interesting as well, it's something to play for and we're looking forward to it.”

Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to trump Spurs to reward their supporters' patience

So far so bland, but like many a Gunner, what really appeared to get Mikel’s juices going was the now yearly duel between his Arsenal side and their greatest rivals, Spurs for the final Champions League spot.

Both sides could of course snatch spots in the competition at the expense of Chelsea, but when asked if beating Tottenham to the final spot would be something he’d relish, the Spanish midfielder looked upon edging out Andre Villas-Boas side as a late season present for Arsenal’s long suffering support, now eight years and counting without seeing silverware.