Wenger expects a fight until May
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is expecting a bitter fight until next May in a very competitive and tough Premier League.
With Manchester City bringing in new players, Chelsea's quality and squad depth, Manchester United's impressive win in the Community Shield and Arsenal's consistency, Wenger says the Premier League will not be decided until the final month of the season.
There are more teams with a genuine chance to win the Premier League than ever before. Premier League seasons are very long and all teams endure blips of form along the way.
Wenger rightly points out that there are now more chances for teams to drop points and it's up to Arsenal to be consistent and take advantage of the mistakes that their rivals make.
Pounce when teams falter
What Arsenal have to do if they are going to win the Premier League is make as few mistakes as possible and make sure that they pounce when other sides drop points.
However, with four or five teams now capable of producing title winning form, the pressure to pounce when points are dropped is going to be greater than ever before.
Wenger says it's very unlikely that one single team is going to pull away from the pack and create a telling lead until at least the spring. By this time the Premier League games start to run out. If Arsenal want to win the league then they have to put themselves in a much better position than their rivals around them.
He said: "What changed in England last year is that everybody could drop points, it was the first season that really happened. So it will be more open this year. You expect Manchester City, who invest a huge amount of money, to be one of the contenders as well."
Take care of business
The one thing that Arsenal can do to give themselves the best possible chance of winning is to take care of their own business. This means making sure they do not make as many errors as they have done over the last two or three seasons.
There is very little doubt that Arsenal have a very good team and now that it looks like Cesc Fabregas will start the season as Arsenal captain, they have a better chance to play the football that they are world famous for.
Worrying about other teams and if they are going to make a mistake means that a side is not fully focused on each fixture as it comes. If Arsenal just take one game at a time, do their homework and don't make any errors then they will be one of the teams in with a chance of winning by next May.
Wenger added: "Tottenham [can challenge] if they can confirm what they produced last year, Aston Villa as well. You could have six or seven teams because Everton for me has a strong squad too. I believe we have a good chance. The most important thing is that we have that belief."
Betting advice
Arsenal are worth a punt for the Premier League title because it looks as though their captain is going to stay for another season. Surely the club has now learnt from past errors that have ultimately cost them a title chance in previous seasons.
The safer option could be to wait and see how Arsenal play in their first one or two games. If they are playing beautiful football, not making any errors and scoring lots of goals then there will be very little reason not to back them.
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