To be honest, based on how the 2025/26 season has unfolded so far, Arsenal look projected to finish second again, potentially for the fourth consecutive time.
Softfootball has closely observed patterns from past Premier League winners, and certain key elements appear missing in this Arsenal side.
Lack of a 15+ Goal Striker
Historically, every title-winning team has had at least one player score over 15 league goals. At Chelsea, players like Didier Drogba and Diego Costa crossed that mark. Manchester United had Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie delivered decisive numbers.
While Liverpool’s, Mohamed Salah has consistently led from the front during title seasons and Manchester City, Sergio Agüero and Erling Haaland dominated the scoring charts.
But at Arsenal, the situation is worrying. After 26 league matches as of 20th February 2026, no Arsenal attacker has reached double figures.
- Viktor Gyökeres has not reached 10 league goals.
- Bukayo Saka has not reached seven.
- Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard are also struggling.
Even own goals have at one point competed statistically with Arsenal’s leading scorers. The old football saying goes: defence wins titles, but strikers win games. A team cannot rely on structure alone without consistent goal output.
Creativity Concerns
There is currently no Arsenal player among the league’s top three assist providers. During Liverpool’s title-winning campaign, Salah not only scored heavily but also contributed assists at an elite level. Arsenal lack that attacking focal point this season.
Tactical Deviation Under Arteta
Mikel Arteta, now in his seventh season, has been backed financially and given time. Early in his tenure, Arsenal played possession-based football with structured passing, somewhat reflective of the philosophy he learned under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
However, critics argue that Arsenal’s current approach is more defensive, relying heavily on set pieces, long throws and compact shape rather than fluid attacking combinations. The recent 2:2 draw against Wolves after leading 2:0, has amplified these concerns even as Arsenal had also struggled to win 2:1 in the first meeting earlier this season.
Fans once clamoured for a striker. Then they called for creative reinforcements like Eberechi Eze. Both arrived, yet the attacking output has not significantly improved.
The question now is simple: can a team win the Premier League without a dominant scorer and without attacking fluidity?
At this stage of the season, Arsenal are on the verge of letting another opportunity slip and unless their attacking structure changes quickly, history may repeat itself once again.
