The Title Is Possible For Arsenal, They've Done It Before

11 points is the gap between Arsenal and Leicester, but perhaps more worryingly for Arsenal fans is the 6 points gap between us and Tottenham. Arsenal do have a game in hand so those gaps could be reduced to 8 and 3 with we catch up on matches. Sp*rs may seem catchable but Leicester seemingly have an unassailable lead. Or do they?

Arsenal have previously come from 12 points behind with 9 games left to win the title. It was in 1998 but back then, as now, the league was much more even and racking up 80+ points was mostly unheard of. In fact Arsenal's 27 points from 9 games saw them finish as title winners with 78 points, one less than their maximum total available of 79 this season.

Arsenal won the first of 9 in the attempt to emulate that dream finish with an impressive display against Everton and by most accounts they have the gentlest run in of the three title horses. The Gunners are the dark horse but if you're a punter that's a good thing because you can make the most of your stake and improved odds with bigbonuscode.co.uk knowing that not only does Arsenal have a pedigree in finishing strongly there is also a precedent for such a lead to be overcome.

Leicester look strong and unlikely to falter but that points cushion could have an adverse effect. They're now considering themselves title favourites, if they weren't already, and that could mean they take their foot off the gas ever so slightly. As mentioned by Jokman in the Goonersphere Podcast recently, Leicester are actually quite easy to play against but so far no-one has taken the risks they need to in order to beat them, except for Arsenal, twice - and many felt they were lucky to beat Crystal Palace, a theme that has recurred all season. With the season winding down and it being open season for European spots and teams fighting to get out of or stay away from the relegation scrap they are more willing to take risks and that could trip up Sp*rs and Leicester (and Arsenal of course).

Average points totals is the fairest way to guess where a team will finish, especially at this stage of the season, although I recognise it's not a perfect system. Extrapolating from current points totals Sp*rs will finish on 74 points and Leicester on 81. Even with a perfect end to the season Arsenal would still finish 2 points behind Leicester. Many could swallow that as it would mean Arsenal would be fighting for the title on the final day and would also mean we've done Sp*rs again. Crudely it also means Arsenal only need one loss from Leicester's average to be level and take it to goal difference.

Let's take a look at the run in. Leicester's next game is against Southampton who now, like Arsenal are dark horses for the title, are outside bets for a top four finish. The financial difference between Europa League and Champions League is vast but also it would make the Saints an even more attractive prospect for summer recruits. This is a game Leicester could find hard as Saints are a good pressing team. Any of the three potential results would be unsurprising but even a draw could be bad for Leicester. At this stage of the season a draw is almost as bad as a loss. A draw here could see Arsenal - given that we are taking a perfect finish for granted - just 6 points behind with 7 games remaining.

Their next fixture is against Sunderland which normally you would say is an easy win for the title favourites but the result at Southampton could affect them if it's not positive enough and Sunderland will be fighting for their lives to escape the drop. The following week they face West Ham who are in much of a similar position to Southampton except they've looked a better side all season and are just a point off a top four place. They'll want to secure Champions League football for their move to the Olympic Stadium. Points can be dropped here.

Swansea have little to play for so that should be straightforward enough for Leicester even if they've just had a bad run however their final three fixtures are against Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea. United will be fighting for fourth, Everton won't have much to play for but they're not easy to beat and Chelsea will be stretching for a Europa League spot which would be a great end to their season considering how poorly they started. At most I would say 6 points are guaranteed for Leicester and the other 15 really could go anywhere.

Sp*rs' next two matches are against Liverpool and Man United. It's quite possible that Arsenal could be level or overtake them by the time they play their game in hand against West Brom. Following those two tricky matches Sp*rs face Stoke and West Brom before European hopefuls Chelsea welcome them to Stamford Bridge and Southampton travel to White Hart Lane. Their final fixture is against Newcastle which could be a dead rubber by that point but like Leicester you would only really give them an easy 6 points, 9 tops and the other 12-15 could be tough.

There is some hope for Arsenal but it's faint and requires a perfect end from Arsenal and big performances from the defence, Coquelin and Elneny, Welbeck and Alexis in particular. They are certainly capable of it if they play every game with the spirit and desire they showed at the Nou Camp and Goodison Park.

Let's take it one game at a time and give the team 100%, if we do that then we can demand 100% back in return from the players.

It's not over yet. #COYG

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