Arsenal have become unaccustomed to being underdogs. But, for the second time in a few days, they may kick off as outsiders at the weekend. A side who were top of the table for 248 days in 2022-23 now find themselves the second club in the capital in the standings. “The way we played tonight, the team can go to Chelsea and win,” Mikel Arteta nonetheless declared after defeat to Inter Milan left him with back-to-back reverses.
The table as it stands is more likely to be an early-season anomaly rather than a sign of a decisive shift in the balance of power. And yet there is also the possibility Arsenal have peaked without quite reaching the desired heights. One interpretation of their awkward start to the season is that the effort of going toe to toe with Manchester City in successive seasons has taken its toll. It did on Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, too, but only after they had become domestic and European champions.
