4 reasons why Arsenal will finish in the top 4 this season

The only English team to be unbeaten in 2020, Arsenal appear to have commanded a turnaround in fortunes, bagging clean sheets after clean sheets whilst also winning games home and away.

With 27 games played in the Premier League and 11 more to go, the Gunners have enough time in hand to turn the tables in their favour as Mikel Arteta's side are only 7 points off the top four.

Since taking the reins at the Emirates, Arteta has reignited the winning mentality in the squad. Although the Spaniard had a tough few starting weeks at his new job, the north London giants have won 4 of their last 5 games in all competitions; winning three in a row against Newcastle United, Olympiakos, and Everton.

In Arsenal's last three league games, they have kept two clean sheets, conceding 2 and scoring 7 goals. It is clear that Arteta and his entourage have got the team back on track and if the Gunners can string a couple more wins in a row, they'd be competing for the Champions League spots.

Here, we take a look at four reasons why Arsenal could finish in the top four this season:

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#4 Favourable run of fixtures in the coming weeks

Arsenal are only the second team to beat Olympiakos away from home, first being Bayern Munich.

Arsenal are playing West Ham and Norwich City at home as well as Brighton and Southampton away in their next four fixtures; all of which are on the bottom half of the table.

Meanwhile, fellow competitor Manchester United will be taking on teams from the top half of the table in their next four games, i.e Everton at Goodison Park, Manchester City and Sheffield United at home as well as Tottenham Hotspur away. On the other hand, Chelsea will host City and Everton at Stamford Bridge, whilst travelling to Aston Villa and Bournemouth in their next four games.

Arsenal clearly have a better fixture list coming up and they have easier games in the next few weeks as compared to their rivals. Based on current form, Arteta's men should not have a problem winning their upcoming fixtures, whereas the likes of Chelsea and United are bound to drop points at some point. Three wins in their next four games and Arsenal could potentially leapfrog the Red Devils, if not Chelsea.

Also Read: Xhaka on Arsenal captaincy- If one day the club asks me, I have to think twice

#3 David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi repaying the faith

Shkodran Mustafi has been Arsenal's best defender. Yes, you read that right.

Who would've guessed that a 33-year-old David Luiz and an out-of-favour Shkodran Mustafi would turn out to be Mikel Arteta's most important defenders?

A long-term injury to Calum Chambers, Arsenal's best defender this season by some distance, followed by constant fitness problems for Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney have collectively led to the club's defensive struggles.

However, things appear to have changed for the better as Luiz and Mustafi have been putting improved performances in the last couple of weeks. The Gunners have kept 5 clean sheets in 12 games under Arteta, as much as they kept in 21 games under Unai Emery.

From having a negative goal difference under Emery, Arsenal's goal ratio under the former Manchester City assistant manager is 19:10, i.e they have scored nearly twice as much as they've conceded, an impressive stat considering that the same defenders who were incredibly unreliable under Emery are now turning up with defensive masterclasses under their new gaffer week in and week out.

#2 Nicolas Pepe and Mesut Ozil hitting top gears

Nicolas Pepe has 3 assists and 1 goal in his last two league games

Against Newcastle United, Nicolas Pepe became the first Arsenal player to provide three goal contributions in a single game this season, scoring one and registering two assists. Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil, who has seen significant improvement under Arteta, finally broke his goal-scoring drought of nearly 20 games during the game.

With 4 goals and 6 assists in the Premier League, Pepe is Arsenal's second-highest goal contributor with 10 contributions this season, with the first being Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with 18.

Pepe had a huge burden on his shoulders as he was yet to prove himself in the English top-flight following his mega-money move to the Emirates last summer. He found it difficult to find his feet at his new club and fans did not refrain from jumping on him.

In a world where Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were bought for less than £50 million, Pepe did not have the freedom he wished he had. However, since Arteta's appointment, the 24-year-old winger has become one of the most improved players along with Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz.

While Ozil has still not been getting the numbers up on the charts, his performance levels, work ethic on the pitch and his game involvement, have massively improved. From being a want-away player to an indisputable figure in midfield for Arteta, the playmaker has been immense for the Gunners lately.

It would be difficult for Ozil to replicate the form of his prime years but he certainly looks like a player who could last 90 minutes on the pitch and do what he does best: break defences.

#1 Mikel Arteta finding the right personnel in midfield

Granit Xhaka was a player who was poised to leave the Emirates in January, following his terrible incident with fans during Arsenal's game against Crystal Palace last year. However, the player has overcome his intial struggles and has emerged as a sound option in midfield under Mikel Arteta. The Swiss international now averages 5.1 long balls and 0.6 key passes per game, with a passing success percentage of 88.3.

Arteta's initial midfield partnership involved Xhaka and Lucas Torreira but it did not help the Gunners in attack, as both of them are best-suited to sitting in front of the back line, linking play and putting in the defensive shift. As a result, Dani Ceballos has lately been the first-choice alongside Xhaka, with Torreira being dropped to the bench. This proved to be quite helpful for Arsenal when it comes to breaking down deep defensive blocks, especially against teams like Everton and Newcastle.

Ceballos averages 1.1 key passes and 48 passes on average per game, whereas Torreira is at 0.6 and 33.8 respectively. He is also a better dribbler with 1.2 dribbles completed per game, while Torreira completes 0.6. The latter will likely be playing more Europa League games from now on till the end of the season.

Special mentions to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bernd Leno, who are obviously the prime reasons why Arsenal are still in the top half of the table. The emergence of Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka has also been important to the cause.