After Rodri, the "world's first waist" was reimbursed for the season, the balance of the Premier League title once again tilted in Arsenal's favor.
In the latest edition of the odds and probability list of major authorities and professional media, Arsenal has surpassed Manchester City and become the number one favorite to win the Premier League this season.
This is the first time since Pep Guardiola took charge of the Etihad that a team has surpassed Manchester City in the odds and odds of winning the title at the beginning of the season. In other words, in the eyes of professional media and authorities, this season is Arsenal's best chance to win the title.
Can the Gunners seize this God-given opportunity to end the embarrassment of not winning the Premier League in 21 years in team history? At the moment, there is much hope.
If the 2022/23 Gunners are still just "elephants sitting on branches" and are still weak and timid in the face of a powerful Premier League hegemon, then the Gunners in the 2023/24 season already have the courage and strength to challenge Manchester City head-on - home and away legs, the Gunners not only won 1 win and 1 draw to remain unbeaten, but also completed a clean sheet.
In the BIG6 internal round-robin, the Gunners are unbeaten with six wins and four draws – their best performance since winning the title in 2003/04.
However, despite such a strong performance, the Gunners ultimately failed to win the Premier League. Cause? After the Christmas game forced Liverpool to win the Christmas title, the Gunners suffered two consecutive defeats, and if the loss to Villa was excusable, then the defeat to Fulham was really a self-destructive failure.
Frankly speaking, Manchester City gave the Gunners a manager, a player, and a lot of opportunities. But the reality was cruel, and the gunmen did not catch any of them. But this time, it's really different.
Rodri is out for the season, and Pep Guardiola will not be able to bring in reinforcements at least until the New Year, and given the objective fact that there is a significant difference in Rodri's record, the Gunners have completely controlled the initiative to compete for the title after tying the points difference.
Three consecutive away games after the international break: the north London derby, Rice is suspended, Odegaard is injured, and the Gunners still beat the century-old rival despite the absence of the two core offensive and defensive cores; In the battle for the top spot, Rice returned, and the Gunners carried Manchester City's half at the Etihad, and they also held until the last minute with one less man.
In these two games, the Gunners got the desired results with a pragmatic style of play in extremely difficult circumstances, and Arteta was known for his ability to swing the bus, and he was not even defeated by Mourinho at all.
Just when the fans thought the Gunners would swing the bus to the bottom, the next time to face the Foxes and Grand Paris, the Gunners returned to beautiful football and raised the banner of attack.
Against the Fox Foxes, the Gunners almost overwhelmed the Foxes in the first half, with Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scoring a goal each, but the Foxes almost stunned the Gunners with two smashes at the start of the second half. At the crucial moment, the Gunners once again showed great resilience, and in stoppage time, Leandro Trossard created an own goal and Havertz collided. The gunman escaped and survived.
In the Champions League, the Gunners were in complete control of the game and did not give the Ligue 1 squad any chance. Kai Havertz's header, Bukayo Saka's free-kick, the Gunners took the lead more easily than expected, and in the second half, Saliba's backline gave Paris no chance.
Two years ago, the Gunners themselves didn't believe they could win the title, but now, from the manager, to the players, to the fans, they all believe – the time has come. From scrambling to confident, this season's Gunners are really different.