Declan Rice, they key to the repeat

Arsenal won the 2025/26 Premier League title despite lengthy injuries to key players including Saka, Havertz, Merino, Odegaard and Timber. They achieved this through two major strengths that set them apart from their rivals:

The best defensive record in the league, conceding just 27 goals, with David Raya keeping 19 clean sheets and a formidable set-piece threat, scoring 23 goals from dead-ball situations.

At the same time, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs were all either in transition or facing varying degrees of instability.

The Spine of the Defence

When Zubimendi initially struggled with the physical demands of English football, Declan Rice stepped forward as a defensive shield in front of the back four while Myles Lewis-Skelly moved seamlessly into midfield. This provided the team with much-needed balance and solidity.

Arsenal's defensive spine consists of Raya, Gabriel, Saliba and Rice. Gabriel and Saliba formed one of Europe's strongest centre-back partnerships, while Rice offered protection ahead of them through his anticipation, positioning and ball recovery.

Unfortunately, William Saliba is expected to miss a prolonged period while a fractured vertebra heals naturally. Cristhian Mosquera is the obvious replacement and showed encouraging signs in the Community Shield, producing a composed and assured performance. However, Arsenal may still require an experienced right-sided centre-back to provide competition and cover throughout the season.

The Challenge of Saliba's Absence

While Gabriel remains an outstanding defender, he occasionally showed lapses in concentration during the World Cup and pre-season. Opponents have occasionally exploited blind-side runs and movement inside the penalty area, an area Arsenal must continue to address.

The key question is whether Arsenal can maintain last season's defensive standards without Saliba. The answer may lie in how Mikel Arteta utilises Rice.

Rice as the Sweeper-Libero

Rice has the attributes to operate as a modern sweeper-libero when required. His reading of the game, anticipation and recovery speed allow him to protect the space between defence and midfield while also tracking runners and intercepting passes.

In possession, Rice can initiate attacks from deeper positions through his ability to carry the ball forward and play accurate long-range passes into advanced areas. Deploying him deeper could compensate for some of the qualities lost through Saliba's absence while allowing Gabriel and Mosquera greater protection.

Alongside Bruno Guimarães, Zubimendi and Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal possess a midfield group capable of resisting pressure and controlling possession. Better squad rotation should also help avoid the fatigue that affected several players during previous campaigns. Rice, for example, played 69 matches including international commitments last season.

For that reason, Arsenal's defensive unit has the potential to remain among the league's best despite Saliba's injury.

Can Arsenal Reach 90 Goals?

A greater challenge may be increasing their attacking output.

Arsenal scored 71 league goals last season, a figure heavily influenced by injuries to Jesus, Havertz, Saka, Merino and Odegaard. At various stages, Arteta was without much of his preferred attacking line-up and principal creative players.

With those players fit again, there is every reason to believe Arsenal can improve significantly. Gyökeres overcame a difficult start to score 14 league goals and could realistically reach 15 to 20 this season. Havertz, Saka and Odegaard should also benefit from uninterrupted campaigns.

Additional creativity from Tzolis, Eze, Lewis-Skelly and emerging talents such as Dowman could further increase Arsenal's attacking threat.

Evolving Beyond Set Pieces

One concern is whether Arsenal can match last season's exceptional set-piece returns under evolving interpretations and regulations. If those numbers diminish, open-play creativity will need to improve.

The Community Shield offered encouraging signs. Arsenal appeared more fluid in possession, combining quick passing, intelligent movement, positional interchanges and runs from blind-side areas to create opportunities. Rather than relying heavily on set pieces, the team looked capable of generating chances through collective movement and tactical flexibility.

Reasons for Optimism

Last season Arsenal drew too many matches and conceded several costly late goals. As champions, however, they should enter this campaign with greater confidence and belief.

The objective should be clear: convert more draws into wins, regain dominance against fellow top-six rivals and improve their attacking output without sacrificing defensive discipline.

If Arsenal can retain their defensive standards while increasing their goalscoring return from 71 towards 90, they will have a genuine opportunity to retain the Premier League title.

The foundations are already in place. The next step is proving that this team can evolve from champions into a dynasty.