Arsenal’s title hopes are well and truly buried following a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground.
Before the game, Mikel Arteta had refused to give up on the title but the Gunners draw coupled with Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle has left Arsenal trailing by 13 points.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 28 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 66 | 26 | 40 | 67 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 27 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 51 | 23 | 28 | 54 |
Whilst the disappointment of the Premier League title fading will hurt Arteta and his side for a while, there have been mitigating factors, none more so than Arsenal’s injury crisis this season.
However, that will come as no consolation to supporters, and fans have vented their fury at the Arsenal board over the lack of transfer ambition shown in January.
Three reasons why Arsenal fans can still be optimistic this season
Whilst the Gunners are enduring a challenging period on the pitch having failed to score in their last two outings, the season is not lost and there are still reasons to be optimistic for fans, with still plenty to play for on the pitch.
Arsenal’s chance at Champions League history
Arsenal face PSV Eindhoven in the last-16 of the Champions League and have a good recent history against the Dutch side having beat them in last season’s competition 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal’s route to the final is tough but if they can overcome a good PSV side, they face the prospect of facing one of the Madrid sides- Atletico or Real.
Whilst that will present an enormous challenge for the Gunners, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli would have returned from injury to provide a freshness to the attack and their pace would cause the Spanish side huge problems.
In addition, Arsenal’s defensive solidity could be an advantage in Europe as teams have shown in the past that being stubborn at the back can take you a long way in the tournament – just ask Chelsea.
Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri can form a deadly partnership
Due to injuries and Arteta’s hesitancy in team selection, Arsenal fans are yet to really see Hale End stars Saka and Ethan Nwaneri develop a partnership on the pitch.
With Martin Odegaard struggling for form, the Gunners boss could use the remainder of the season to see how Nwaneri develops in the number ten role and how he could thrive alongside the pace and trickery of Saka.
Whether that means dropping Odegaard altogether remains to be seen as the Norwegian could find himself in the left eight role in front of Declan Rice or Thomas Partey but the Premier League campaign now gives Arteta the chance to tinker with his selections.
Arsenal’s exciting full back options
One area of the pitch where the Gunners are not lacking in options is at right and left back. Riccardo Calafiori left fans ‘baffled’ with his positioning against Nottingham Forest after filling in for the suspended Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The Italian and Lewis-Skelly both offer different qualities to Arteta’s side, Lewis-Skelly is nimble and can wriggle out of any situation whilst Calafiori’s more robust approach provides that physical edge. Both have proven their worth going forward too.
On the other side, the returning Ben White can provide Arsenal with another attacking weapon as he gallops on the overlap, whereas Jurrien Timber is one of the best one v one defenders in Europe.
It will be interesting to see which combinations Arteta chooses for the rest of the campaign, especially with the full back areas being so important as to how he sets up tactically.
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