On the surface, Arsenal appears to be out of the top four race. After all, they’ve been struggling to win games all season long and only just recently succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea who currently occupies 4th-place.
However, a closer look at the Premier League table suggests that the Gunners still have a very realistic chance of securing a top four finish, especially considering how inconsistent the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United currently are.
To secure a top four finish, though, Arsenal need their key players to turn up for the team throughout the second-half of the season.
Here’s a look at the three players that could lead Arsenal to a top four finish;
Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil’s time at Arsenal has been plagued by inconsistency. Far too often, Ozil has put up incredible showings only to follow them up with mediocre displays.
So far this season, he has shown some promise, but he is yet to truly make his mark in Arteta’s team.
With the second half of the season now underway, Ozil needs to rediscover the form that once saw him ranked amongst the best midfielders in the world.
On his day, Ozil is a rare creative force. He’s able to turn the pitch into his playground, pinging passes about, performing cheeky flicks and ultimately dictating the flow of a game.
If Arsenal are to have any chance of making it into next season’s Champions League, they need Ozil back to his best.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Aubameyang, throughout the first half of the season, was pretty much the only Arsenal player who proved to be reliable in terms of performing his role.
The Gabon international has scored 13 Premier League goals for the Gunners this season, a lot of which were solely responsible for winning points for Arsenal.
In fact, without Aubameyang’s contributions, Arsenal would be in a far worse position than they currently find themselves in. Such is the former Dortmund man’s influence at the club.
Whilst Aubameyang has been Arsenal’s top performer so far this season, he needs to raise his output in the second half of the season in a bid to lead the Gunners to a top four finish.
Nicolas Pepe
Contrary to what many Arsenal mans might think, Nicolas Pepe could very well turn out to be Arsenal’s most important player going into the second half of the Premier League campaign.
Despite how badly he performed in the first half of the season, he still possesses world-class talents and those abilities are needed now more than ever.
If Pepe is able to replicate the form that prompted Arsenal to buy him in the first place, then the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United could have the top four spot stolen from right under their noses.
