Fourth, third, second – they are Arsenal’s last three Premier League finishes, and Gunners fans will be hoping that their side can progress again this season to finish top of the pile.

Arsene Wenger’s side have made an excellent start to the season, and look well placed to fight the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Tottenham for top spot.

The Gunners have won seven of their opening 11 Premier League games, and are unbeaten in their last 15 matches in all competitions dating back to the 4-3 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool on the first weekend of the season.

Wenger’s side have already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League after an impressive group stage campaign, and will take on Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates in a fortnight’s time in what is likely to be the top spot decider.

A run to the League Cup quarter-finals has further outlined Arsenal’s trophy-winning credentials, but it’s the Premier League title, which they haven’t won for 12 years, which Gunners fans would love to clinch come May.

Thus, here are THREE reasons why Wenger’s men will win the title this season…

Defensive solidarity

One reason many people believe that Arsenal haven’t won the title in recent seasons is the state of their back five.

They struggled for a number one goalkeeper for many years, but stumbled across Chelsea’s Petr Cech last summer, and he has already proved his worth to Wenger by winning the Golden Glove last season.

Yet, there have always been question marks about the centre-backs, especially whether Per Mertesacker is actually good enough, and whether or not you are going to see the great Laurent Koscielny or the bad one.

However, the early impressions are that Arsenal are looking much more solid at the back, with the arrival of Shkodran Mustafi one reason for their improved defensive resilience.

He and Koscielny appear to have struck up a solid partnership at the back and, with Hector Bellerin continuing to impress and Nacho Monreal a decent defender, they might finally have a back five capable of going the distance.

Defensive midfield steel

Another reason people have downplayed Arsenal’s title credentials in recent times is their lack of strength in the middle of the park.

Yet, the emergence of Francis Coquelin in the last few years, alongside the signings of Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny, suggests that they have finally got the players to perform in that role against any side in the division.

Although Coquelin hasn’t been at his best in recent weeks, Xhaka, a £30 million signing from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer, is beginning to adapt to the demands of the Premier League, and was particularly impressive against Tottenham on Sunday.

Elneny, when called upon, has also done a decent job in that area and, with Santi Cazorla the more technical and advanced central midfielder, Arsenal need a balance alongside him so the defensive aspect of the job is covered.

Any of the above three could do that job.

Striking options

Alexis Sanchez’s move to the more advanced role hasn’t just got the best out of him, it’s also got the best out of Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil.

England international Walcott has been able to use his pace to get in behind defences more readily with Sanchez ahead of him, and German World Cup winner Ozil always knows that he’s got someone agile and tricky in front of him to play a pass.

It means that Arsenal have been quicker in their attacking play this season, and also means that the likes of Alex Iwobi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are able to use their pace to the greater benefit of the side.

Playing Sanchez upfront also reduces the pressure on Olivier Giroud.

The Frenchman has always been a decent Premier League striker, but misses one too many chances and has never quite been as prolific as the likes of Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane, and Diego Costa.

What Giroud does provide however is another option for the Gunners if needed, as was proven against Sunderland the other week, as they can go more direct with his greater presence upfront.

All in all, Wenger has many options at his disposal and, by having Sanchez up top, he seems able to get the best out of what he’s got.