Mikel Arteta should be SACKED if Arsenal fail to win the Premier League title

For Mikel Arteta, this is it. After so long playing the bridesmaid the Arsenal boss will NEVER get a better chance of winning the title than the one he has now.

There is still a long way to go this season. But this season, the trophy is Arsenal's for the taking. We may not have even reached Halloween, but it already seems that only a ridiculous horror story can stop Arsenal from finally ending what will, come May, be a 22-year Premier League title wait.

And frankly, this side looks too good, too battle-hardened, too determined, to be caught in the kind of horror show that will cost them English football's biggest prize.

In the previous two campaigns they've threatened to take the title only to fade when it's mattered most. But Arteta looks to have learned and the perfect storm is now brewing in North London - because this Arsenal side look almost unbeatable.

They currently sit top, unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions, with Bournemouth, Tottenham and newly-promoted Sunderland as their nearest challengers. They are six points ahead of Manchester City, and seven clear of reigning champions Liverpool, both of whom lost at the weekend and neither of whom are the relentless powerhouses they used to be.

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Arsenal meanwhile look more powerful than ever, particularly defensively. They've conceded just three league goals all season, and no-one has breached them in the last five games.

And right here is the reason Arsenal should go on to end their long wait to be crowned champions again.

The Gunners scored 17 fewer goals than Liverpool last season, which cost them the title. But the fact is, that when a team like Arsenal is conceding so few goals, it doesn't have to score as many at the opposite end to win game. The 1-0 win over Crystal Palace proves it.

Quite simply, defences win titles. It might be one of the oldest cliches in the game, but it's also one of the truest. And this Arsenal defence is so mean, so well drilled, so excruciatingly difficult to break down, that it could even break the incredible record set by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in 2005, when they conceded just 15 times en route to becoming champions.

And what makes this side more frightening? The fact that the likes of Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz have still to come back from injuries! It's safe to assume Arsenal's goal ratio will improve as those guys return and the season moves forward.

But you know what is even more frightening than anything mentioned above? The thought of this side NOT getting the job done.

More than two decades have passed since a club steeped in a rich history and tradition of success, has been crowned English champions. That long wait MUST end.

For Arteta, failure cannot be an option. It's boom or bust.

The Spaniard has won one FA Cup since taking charge in 2019, which is nowhere near good enough. He has been handed the keys to the kingdom in north London, and been allowed to spend huge sums to build this formidable-looking side.

The general opinion remains that he is a good manager... but not a great one. Those are measured by the trophies that they win.

And if Arteta fails to lead his team to success come May, then he shouldn't get another chance at the Emirates to prove otherwise.