Liverpool’s faltering form could make this the season Arsenal have been waiting for

The biggest winner of Chelsea’s victory over Liverpool before the October international window was Arsenal. The faltering form of Arne Slot’s team opened the door for the Gunners to move top of the Premier League table, where Mikel Arteta and his players hope to stay until the end of the season.

Of course, there will almost certainly be plenty more twists and turns before the trophy is handed out, but there is a growing sense that this could be Arsenal’s season. The season they have been waiting for since the Arsene Wenger era, when the Gunners last won the Premier League title.

Liverpool might have the strongest squad in English and European soccer on an individual basis, but the defending Premier League champions haven’t found the right balance so far this season. The Reds have been vulnerable in defensive transition, something that was exposed in the recent losses to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea.

Hugo Ekitike has hit the ground running following his summer switch from Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring four goals so far this season, but Alexander Isak has struggled to rediscover the sort of form that convinced Liverpool to pay a Premier League-record transfer fee to sign him from Newcastle United.

Arsenal also strengthened in the summer transfer window, but didn’t disrupt their starting lineup in the same way Liverpool did. By adding Ekitike, Isak, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, the Reds brought in five new starters. Arsenal, on the other hand, only added two – Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi.

In contrast, Arsenal focused on adding depth to their squad, bringing in Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Cristhian Mosquera, all of whom have already contributed at various points of the season. The Gunners are better equipped to handle injuries.

“Every year we have to see how things develop but I see the right balance in terms of maturity, experience, youth, hunger and all these ingredients are there,” said Arteta when asked about Arsenal’s title chances before the start of the 2025/26 season. 

“The thing is there are another six, seven, eight clubs in the league that have the right ingredients to win and there is only going to be one winner. So we have to focus a lot on the things that we can control, that we can do, to achieve what we want at the end of the season.”

Many believed Chelsea would be in a position to challenge for the Premier League title this season after winning the Club World Cup during the summer. The Blues have made progress under Enzo Maresca with the Stamford Bridge club spending $300m on new transfers in the summer window.

There is certainly quality in the Chelsea squad. Moises Caicedo has developed into one of the best central midfielders in the world. Joao Pedro is capable of deciding a match with a moment of quality in the attacking third. Cole Palmer is one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League.

And yet Chelsea don’t look ready to mount a sustained title challenge. The same could be said of Manchester City, although there are signs that Pep Guardiola’s team is rounding into form. Erling Haaland has scored nine goals in just seven league games. His goals on their own might be enough to push City into top spot.

On the balance of everything we have seen so far this season, though, there’s good reason for Arsenal to be optimistic about their chances. While they have faced some criticism for playing within themselves in certain matches, the Gunners have an all-round package that nobody else at the top of the Premier League appears to have. Their 4-0 dismantling of an in-form Atletico Madrid team on Tuesday night in the Champions League indicated as much.

They have different and new ways to score goals. Gyokeres brings the sort of physicality in the penalty box that Arsenal previously lacked. Eze offers a different dimension with his dribbling and natural ability to create something out of nothing. Madueke has proven himself as an excellent option on both wings.

At the back, Mosquera has stepped in for Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba when they have missed games, while Jurrien Timber continues to improve as the all-round defender Arsenal need at right back. All over the pitch, Arteta has two or three options. This will surely shine through over the course of the campaign.