Can Arsenal overcome Jesus blow to win the Premier League?

The Premier League rubric contention is astir to get existent for Arsenal. For the archetypal clip since Arsene Wenger's "Invincibles" won the club's past rubric successful 2003-04, Arsenal consciousness similar a squad that tin spell each the mode and instrumentality the trophy to the Emirates. But manager Mikel Arteta's broadside person lone done the casual portion truthful far.

Make nary mistake: to beryllium 5 points wide astatine the apical of table, having suffered conscionable 1 decision successful 14 games, is simply a genuine accomplishment for Arteta and his young team. Arsenal merit to beryllium starring the contention arsenic the Premier League resumes aft six-week intermission for the 2022 World Cup successful Qatar, but their awesome commencement to the play is present conscionable wealth successful the bank. We are astir to spot however acold it volition instrumentality them.

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Since the Premier League began successful 1992-93, determination person been 30 completed seasons and the squad that sits apical connected Christmas Day conscionable has the edge. Sixteen teams person been apical astatine Christmas and ended up arsenic champions, with 14 clubs failing to spell the distance. Arsenal were 2nd to Manchester United connected Christmas Day 2003 and went connected to beryllium champions.

It is simply a somewhat skewed historically statistic this clip around, with Arsenal lone having played 14 games owed to the World Cup shutdown. By now, teams person usually played 17 games, truthful it is possibly unfair to load Arteta's squad with the unit of having to unrecorded up to the "Christmas leaders" tag. But by starting truthful good and maintaining their form, Arsenal are unquestionably successful the rubric race.

Reigning champions Manchester City are inactive the favourites with each bookmaker, contempt being 5 points adrift of the leaders, yet Pep Guardiola's squad volition person small borderline for mistake if Arsenal proceed arsenic they near off. This is the situation for Arsenal, however, and the representation is nary longer rather arsenic wide arsenic it was erstwhile they wrapped up for the World Cup with a 2-0 triumph astatine Wolves successful mid-November.

The biggest interest for Arteta volition beryllium the nonaccomplishment of striker Gabriel Jesus, who could beryllium sidelined for up to 4 months with a medial ligament wounded helium suffered with Brazil astatine the World Cup. The 25-year-old has scored 5 goals for the Gunners since his £45 cardinal transportation from Man City successful the summertime and portion his onslaught complaint whitethorn not beryllium hugely impressive, it is his publication arsenic a squad subordinate and the winning mentality helium has brought from his clip astatine the Etihad that marque him truthful important to Arteta's team.

Without Jesus, Arsenal person to find a mode to marque their guardant enactment relation conscionable arsenic good -- and that won't beryllium easy.

How defender Ben White performs aft leaving England's World Cup squad aboriginal for idiosyncratic reasons volition beryllium different cardinal question for Arteta. White's versatility and consistency, some astatine full-back and centre-back, person been important this season, truthful Arsenal volition request him to instrumentality to the signifier that earned him that call-up for Qatar.

On the flipside, winger Bukayo Saka had an outstanding World Cup with England, and chap wide attacker Gabriel Martinelli is reportedly adjacent to signing a declaration hold astatine the Emirates aft returning from the World Cup with Brazil. So amid the concerns, determination person been positives for Arteta to physique on.

The Arsenal manager knows that a pugnacious play lies ahead, though. With much players than immoderate different nine -- 9 -- having registered much than 1,000 Premier League minutes this season, fatigue could go a origin arsenic Arsenal (and each different team) commencement to play catch-up successful league and cupful play pursuing Qatar 2022.

"We are going to beryllium playing each 3 days," Arteta said. "The congestion and the magnitude of games we person to play is going to beryllium incredible. We are going to person to person much resources and much players to beryllium capable to bash that.

"We person the assurance we are connected the close path, but arsenic well, we person the reddish lights and alarms, due to the fact that what is coming successful the 2nd fractional of the play is thing unprecedented. And we request to beryllium acceptable for it."

Arsenal's tally of fixtures betwixt present and the instrumentality of European shot successful mid-February volition springiness america a wide denotation arsenic to whether they tin prolong their rubric bid oregon volition autumn by the wayside, with serial winners City benefiting from the extent and acquisition of their squad to overhaul the Gunners.

A location crippled against West Ham connected Monday is the commencement of the tricky run, followed by a hard travel to Brighton and the sojourn of in-form Newcastle connected Jan. 3. And successful the abstraction of a month, aft an FA Cup third-round travel to Oxford United, Arsenal indispensable play Tottenham (away), Manchester United (home) and Manchester City ( home), truthful it is surely a investigating play up for Arteta and his players.

Some rubric winners -- Leicester (2016), Blackburn (1995) -- person started good and harnessed a question of momentum each the mode to the extremity of the season, but galore others person tally retired of steam. We're astir to find retired which class Arsenal volition autumn into this season.