Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are beginning to prove many of those who doubted their chances of competing for the Premier League title wrong, after they moved back to the top of the Premier League table with a win over Chelsea. The Gunners controlled proceedings at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and secured victory courtesy of Gabriel Magalhaes' scrambled finish mid-way through the second half.
After beating fellow 'big six' clubs in Liverpool and Spurs, the Gunners were yet to secure a significant away victory, having lost to Manchester United at the start of September, but they were able to remove that tag after continuing their impressive run in west London where they have won on their last three visits.
To further prove the seriousness of the Gunners title bid, the win also saw them break a 10-year record of being able to defeat three 'big six' clubs in consecutive fixtures.
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While not many can doubt Arsenal's title credentials now, they face stiff competition for the crown as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will be out to notch their third consecutive Premier League trophy. The reigning champions sit two points behind Arsenal, with both sides having played one game less than many of the teams around them.
Neither side will likely want the World Cup break as it presents more possible opportunities for their players to get injured in the midst of an already frantic domestic season as well as resulting in a possible loss of momentum in the campaign.
However, former Arsenal defender William Gallas believes the break could be more beneficial for the Gunners than Man City.
Speaking exclusively to Genting Casino, he said: "I think the World Cup can help Arsenal because they have a couple less international players who are going to the World Cup, so that will be very interesting when you play the World Cup because in the middle of the season, you have to play in Qatar it’s going to be very warm.
"But after the World Cup you come back to England and there will be a big difference in preparation and it will be hard. So that’s why I think Arsenal have a great opportunity, because they have a few less players going to the World Cup. So they have to grab that opportunity."
The Gunners are already set to lose two of their players following Brazil's World Cup squad announcement, with Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli heading to Qatar, although important first-teamers such as Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes are set to remain in north London.
Once the World Cup has finished on December 18, there is just two weeks until the January transfer window opens and it could prove to be a pivotal month for the Gunners as they aim to add quality depth to their squad to try and sustain their impressive title challenge.
"If they want to win the Premier League they have to compete with Manchester City," Gallas added. "So they need more players because there are so many competitions, playing every three days.
"Arsenal need to sign one good striker, because if Gabriel Jesus gets injured it will be hard for Arsenal to get the same performances, so they definitely need one player in front and I still believe you need one player at the back."
The Gunners have not been heavily linked with many central defenders or strikers compared to the list of wide players and central midfielders. There is some reported interest in Lille striker Jonathan David, but Arsenal seem as though they would be keen to acquire the services of Palmeiras midfielder Danilo or Leicester's Youri Tielemans, while January moves for Facundo Torres or Wilfred Zaha could be on the agenda for Edu.
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