When Arsene Wenger was asked early this month why Chelsea strolled to the Premier League championship last season while his Arsenal side ended 12 points adrift, the manager said: “It was the fact they started strong and we didn’t.”
It is difficult to disagree. While Arsenal won 10 of their final 14 games in 2014/15, their run of just two victories in their opening eight encounters left them with a mountain to climb by mid-October.
This season’s campaign is still just three games old, but there are concerns that, ahead of Saturday’s clash with Newcastle United, Arsenal are about to repeat the same mistake.
Their goalless draw with Liverpool on Monday means they have failed to win at least two of their opening three matches in the Premier League for the fourth time in five years. A failure to win today in all likelihood would leave them at least seven points behind league leaders Manchester City, who host Watford on Saturday.
The increase in investment that has seen Arsenal sign the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech in the last few years means that a heroic, late-season revival to secure a top-four place will no longer be deemed good enough.
If Arsenal are genuine title contenders title, they need to prove it quickly.
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