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REJUVENATED ARSENAL

After picking up just one point from their opening two games, Arsenal have now won five Premier League matches in a row and many fans are starting to believe that this could finally be their year to win a first title since 2004.

Whilst Gunners supporters know by now that they shouldn’t get ahead of themselves, Arsene Wenger’s current crop of stars are doing all the right things ahead of what could be a memorable campaign.

During the international break, Arsenal’s big names were all heavily involved – and most will return injury-free after a decent spell with their respective nations. Laurent Koscielny, an integral figure in Wenger’s starting line-up, was superb for France against both Bulgaria and Holland and Gunners fans will be hoping that their defensive stalwart can continue his fine run of form when he returns to the Emirates Stadium.

At the ripe old age of 31, the Frenchman is now regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premier League; and he will be central to their title aspirations.

Crucially, it appears that Koscielny finally has a competent, consistent centre-back partner in Shkodran Mustafi. The former Valencia star has adjusted quickly to the pace of England’s top flight and Arsenal fans will be licking their lips at the prospect of keeping both players fit for the duration of the campaign.

The Gunners have searched desperately for a reliable defensive duo for well over a decade but the Koscielny-Mustafi combination is looking solid; and the two have already raised a few eyebrows in north London and across the Premier League.

The title isn’t won on paper but Arsenal’s squad is looking stronger and deeper than ever before – with a greater amount of emphasis on the latter. In years gone by, Wenger’s paper-thin squad has failed to cope with injuries to key personalities but the Gunners now look well-equipped to deal with any potential long-term setbacks.

Take the Aaron Ramsey injury for example; in years gone by, Wenger might have struggled to rejig his starting line-up to compensate for this particular injury. Nowadays,

Arsenal are a different beast and they have enough talent to make ‘like-for-like’ changes without needing to tweak their formation too much.

In their most recent Premier League encounter, the Gunners scored an injury-time winner to get past Sean Dyche’s spirited Burnley. Over the years, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United made a habit of scoring late goals on their way to winning 13 Premier League titles; and late 1-0 victories are the true hallmark of champions.

It may sound a tad clichéd but a slender triumph over Burnley in October could be one of the key results at the end of the campaign. You only need to look at Leicester City’s run of one-nil successes last season to realise just how important these close victories are.

There are still plenty of points to be won and lost this season; and that is why Arsenal fans shouldn’t get too vocal over their aspirations. While the majority of attention is on the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, the Gunners are going quietly about their business and that suits Arsene Wenger down to the ground.

It would be foolish to claim that Arsenal’s name is on the trophy but they have certainly started well enough after a minor blip in August. Watch this space; Wenger’s men will be there or thereabouts once again…

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