Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has suggested that Arsenal have been lucky this season to an extent in that teams around them have been poor so far.
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The Gunners secured a 2-1 win over title rivals Manchester City on Monday night, with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud scoring the goals against Manuel Pellegrini’s men to seal a morale-boosting victory.
In turn the three points moved them to within two of Premier League leaders Leicester City ahead of the Boxing Day fixtures this weekend, and optimism is high at the Emirates as they continue to cope with injuries to several key individuals.
Despite losing the likes of Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez, Arsene Wenger’s side have kept their focus and determination and have continued to impress both at home and in the Champions League.
However, Carragher believes that they have been helped by the fact that their usual rivals haven’t been performing at the same standard this season which could have seen the Gunners continue to falter behind them.
With Chelsea languishing in the bottom half of the table and still struggling to overcome their disastrous start to the season which forced them to sack Jose Mourinho last week, Manchester United have also come under fire under Louis van Gaal.
In addition, City have been inconsistent so far this season, particularly away from home, while the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have failed to kick on and take advantage.
Leicester undoubtedly remain the surprise package of the season, but doubts remain over whether or not Claudio Ranieri’s men can continue their excellent form for much longer having won 11 of their 17 games so far this season.
As a result, those factors would suggest that Arsenal have been given a helping hand, but Wenger will certainly still be delighted with the application of his players in getting them into their current position.