David Luiz has suggested that Arsenal can challenge for the Premier League title this season.
The Gunners have not won the title since 2004, and already find themselves nine points behind early leaders and title favourites Liverpool.
Yet the Brazilian has not yet lost hope of a title challenge.
“For me, if you start something, and we’ve just started the Premier League and all of the competitions, if you don’t think you can win the competition then you won’t start anything in your life,” Luiz told NBC Sports.
“I want to win titles with Arsenal. I want to improve and adapt myself for the style of Arsenal, as a club and how the manager wants us to play. I think we can do that together.
1/20 20. Liverpool
The other day one of their world-class forwards was quite unhappy with one of their other world-class forwards for not being generous enough with their inexhaustible buffet of clear-cut chances. That’s it. That’s all we’ve got.
The Independent’s highly scientific crisis score: 0.2%.
Getty
2/20 19. Sheffield United
It’s not just that United are happily mid-table, with a fan for a manager and a style of play that’s genuinely unique. It’s that they’ve come up and looked every bit the Premier League team, resilient in the games they’ve won and competitive in the games they’ve lost. And, of course, they play with overlapping centre-backs, a surefire sign that you’re either so deep in crisis you’ve lost your mind, or in such a good place you can afford to give Chris Basham a free role.
Crisis score: 1%.
PA
3/20 18. Leicester City
Only Manchester City and Liverpool have won more points than Leicester since Brendan Rodgers took charge in February. They look a serious threat to the top six, and seem to have absorbed the sale of Harry Maguire impressively with Lord Farquaad every bit his replacement.
Crisis score: 3%.
EPA
4/20 17. Manchester City
City are plunged deep in crisis, obviously, in the TalkSport definition of the word, having slipped up three times already this season, while they have an injury crisis, especially at centre-half. But in actual, real world terms, they are still the slickest operation in football with the best manager around, as well as back-to-back Premier League titles and a points record all in recent memory.
Crisis score: 4%.
EPA
5/20 16. Crystal Palace
Palace were in crisis before the season had even begun, widely tipped to sack Roy Hodgson before the clocks go back and to be relegated before they go forwards again. Aaron Wan-Bissaka had left, Wilfred Zaha wanted to leave, and just it felt like the end of this particular chapter. Instead they bounce into the international break sixth and already with a third of the points they will need to stay up. Everything’s relative.
Crisis score: 8%.
Reuters
6/20 15. Burnley
Burnley continue to do their highly effective thing, only this time without the burden of the Europa League around their necks. This has been kindly passed on to Wolves.
Crisis score: 12%.
Getty Images
7/20 14. Wolves
Wolves continue to do their highly effective thing, only this time with the burden of the Europa League around their necks. Kindly received.
Crisis score: 12%.
Getty
8/20 13. Bournemouth
Bournemouth have established themselves in the Premier League’s centre ground so impressively that they are probably the only side with absolutely no chance of finishing in the top six or the bottom three. This in itself could soon mould into a crisis of identity if they’re not careful, the sort that sent Stoke and West Brom into oblivion, but Eddie Howe has so far not let standards slip.
Crisis score: 15%.
Getty Images
9/20 12. Aston Villa
Having put a three-year stay in the Championship behind them, and financial difficulties apparently in the past too, these are good times at Villa. Now they’re up – with a local captain, a well-respected manager and big Brazilian goalscorer finding the net – they have a real chance of staying there.
Crisis score: 17%.
Reuters
10/20 11. Brighton and Hove Albion
Graham Potter is going well at Brighton, and perhaps the only fear at the Amex is that he goes too well, alerting the likes of Everton and even Tottenham come the end of the year.
Crisis score: 19%.
REUTERS
11/20 10. Chelsea
It turns out contravening Fifa’s rules on the transfer of foreign minors was not in fact a grievous misdemeanour but a blessing in disguise, forcing Frank Lampard to trust the kids, with heartwarming results. Even so, it should be noted that Chelsea cannot sign anyone until next summer and their owner has pulled the plug on a new stadium. Still, Eden who?
Crisis score: 22%.
Reuters
12/20 9. Arsenal
The current Arsenal phenomenon is best explained by Jonathan Liew in his recent column on the subject, but it can accurately be described as a will to scrap out results from the most dire circumstances that is so un-Arsenal-like they are almost unrecognisable. Even their walking crisis, David Luiz, scored on the weekend.
Crisis score: 22%.
Getty
13/20 8. Norwich
Despite coming up by winning the Championship, and despite the excellent start to the season made by Teemu Pukki and co, the thrashing by Aston Villa reminded us that this is a team that haven’t really had to defend for about two years and don’t really know how. Daniel Farke had the face of a man with all the knowledge and none of the tools to solve that particular problem.
Crisis score: 23%.
Getty Images
14/20 7. West Ham
A club perpetually on the verge of crisis who are quietly having a very good season so far with the makings of a genuinely potent front three in that Yarmolenko-Haller-Anderson triumvirate. It could all fall down at any moment of course, but things looks suspiciously stable.
Crisis score: 29%.
Getty
15/20 6. Southampton
Saints have made a slow start to the season and there is a feeling that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s galvanising effect might have worn off. The knack of unearthing foreign gems to complement the talent falling off their production line has escaped Southampton in recent transfer windows, and it feels like a tough season looms.
Crisis score: 37%
Getty Images
16/20 5. Tottenham
Mauricio Pochettino’s time at the club seems to be reaching its natural end point, which is concerning enough, but the fact that it also seems to be the end for a raft of key players means Spurs are in need of a major overhaul. Playing NFL in a shiny new stadium cannot hide this.
Crisis score: 53%.
Getty
17/20 4. Everton
Marco Silva’s side seem wedged in a rut. Four defeats in a row leaves Everton in the relegation zone during the international break and perhaps most concerning is that clubs like Sheffield United, Bournemouth and Burnley all found them so easy to beat. There has been plenty of money spent over the past couple of seasons so it is hard to see how the problem gets solved without a wholesale change of direction.
Crisis score: 56%.
Getty
18/20 3. Watford
We hesitate to condemn Watford, who have a happy knack of resurrection and will simply churn through managers until one’s arrival bounces them back up the league, but things have felt stale for a while now, going back to April when their slump began. Javi Gracia has gone, Quique Sanchez Flores is struggling to make much of an impact, and a goal difference of -16 from eight games is alarming.
Crisis score: 65%.
AFP/Getty
19/20 2. Newcastle
For all the optimism of the Longstaff brothers and the scalp of the club formerly known as Manchester United, Newcastle fans are unlikely to be fooled into thinking the glory days are just around the corner. A relegation scrap is imminent, and it will be an even harder slog than usual without Rafa Benitez. Meanwhile, Mike Ashley continues to lurk in the background like Dominic Cummings in a suit.
Crisis score: 73%.
Getty
20/20 1. Manchester United
The last time Manchester United made a genuinely successful transfer was David de Gea in 2011. The last time Manchester United appointed a genuinely successful manager was Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986. Current odds are shorter on relegation than the title. It is a club wandering directionless towards another decade of mediocrity, the kind Liverpool endured for so long, and it will take an overhaul across the board to fix. Although as Gary Neville points out, Axel Tuanzebe looks all right.
Crisis score: 92%.
Getty
1/20 20. Liverpool
The other day one of their world-class forwards was quite unhappy with one of their other world-class forwards for not being generous enough with their inexhaustible buffet of clear-cut chances. That’s it. That’s all we’ve got.
The Independent’s highly scientific crisis score: 0.2%.
Getty
2/20 19. Sheffield United
It’s not just that United are happily mid-table, with a fan for a manager and a style of play that’s genuinely unique. It’s that they’ve come up and looked every bit the Premier League team, resilient in the games they’ve won and competitive in the games they’ve lost. And, of course, they play with overlapping centre-backs, a surefire sign that you’re either so deep in crisis you’ve lost your mind, or in such a good place you can afford to give Chris Basham a free role.
Crisis score: 1%.
PA
3/20 18. Leicester City
Only Manchester City and Liverpool have won more points than Leicester since Brendan Rodgers took charge in February. They look a serious threat to the top six, and seem to have absorbed the sale of Harry Maguire impressively with Lord Farquaad every bit his replacement.
Crisis score: 3%.
EPA
4/20 17. Manchester City
City are plunged deep in crisis, obviously, in the TalkSport definition of the word, having slipped up three times already this season, while they have an injury crisis, especially at centre-half. But in actual, real world terms, they are still the slickest operation in football with the best manager around, as well as back-to-back Premier League titles and a points record all in recent memory.
Crisis score: 4%.
EPA
5/20 16. Crystal Palace
Palace were in crisis before the season had even begun, widely tipped to sack Roy Hodgson before the clocks go back and to be relegated before they go forwards again. Aaron Wan-Bissaka had left, Wilfred Zaha wanted to leave, and just it felt like the end of this particular chapter. Instead they bounce into the international break sixth and already with a third of the points they will need to stay up. Everything’s relative.
Crisis score: 8%.
Reuters
6/20 15. Burnley
Burnley continue to do their highly effective thing, only this time without the burden of the Europa League around their necks. This has been kindly passed on to Wolves.
Crisis score: 12%.
Getty Images
7/20 14. Wolves
Wolves continue to do their highly effective thing, only this time with the burden of the Europa League around their necks. Kindly received.
Crisis score: 12%.
Getty
8/20 13. Bournemouth
Bournemouth have established themselves in the Premier League’s centre ground so impressively that they are probably the only side with absolutely no chance of finishing in the top six or the bottom three. This in itself could soon mould into a crisis of identity if they’re not careful, the sort that sent Stoke and West Brom into oblivion, but Eddie Howe has so far not let standards slip.
Crisis score: 15%.
Getty Images
9/20 12. Aston Villa
Having put a three-year stay in the Championship behind them, and financial difficulties apparently in the past too, these are good times at Villa. Now they’re up – with a local captain, a well-respected manager and big Brazilian goalscorer finding the net – they have a real chance of staying there.
Crisis score: 17%.
Reuters
10/20 11. Brighton and Hove Albion
Graham Potter is going well at Brighton, and perhaps the only fear at the Amex is that he goes too well, alerting the likes of Everton and even Tottenham come the end of the year.
Crisis score: 19%.
REUTERS
11/20 10. Chelsea
It turns out contravening Fifa’s rules on the transfer of foreign minors was not in fact a grievous misdemeanour but a blessing in disguise, forcing Frank Lampard to trust the kids, with heartwarming results. Even so, it should be noted that Chelsea cannot sign anyone until next summer and their owner has pulled the plug on a new stadium. Still, Eden who?
Crisis score: 22%.
Reuters
12/20 9. Arsenal
The current Arsenal phenomenon is best explained by Jonathan Liew in his recent column on the subject, but it can accurately be described as a will to scrap out results from the most dire circumstances that is so un-Arsenal-like they are almost unrecognisable. Even their walking crisis, David Luiz, scored on the weekend.
Crisis score: 22%.
Getty
13/20 8. Norwich
Despite coming up by winning the Championship, and despite the excellent start to the season made by Teemu Pukki and co, the thrashing by Aston Villa reminded us that this is a team that haven’t really had to defend for about two years and don’t really know how. Daniel Farke had the face of a man with all the knowledge and none of the tools to solve that particular problem.
Crisis score: 23%.
Getty Images
14/20 7. West Ham
A club perpetually on the verge of crisis who are quietly having a very good season so far with the makings of a genuinely potent front three in that Yarmolenko-Haller-Anderson triumvirate. It could all fall down at any moment of course, but things looks suspiciously stable.
Crisis score: 29%.
Getty
15/20 6. Southampton
Saints have made a slow start to the season and there is a feeling that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s galvanising effect might have worn off. The knack of unearthing foreign gems to complement the talent falling off their production line has escaped Southampton in recent transfer windows, and it feels like a tough season looms.
Crisis score: 37%
Getty Images
16/20 5. Tottenham
Mauricio Pochettino’s time at the club seems to be reaching its natural end point, which is concerning enough, but the fact that it also seems to be the end for a raft of key players means Spurs are in need of a major overhaul. Playing NFL in a shiny new stadium cannot hide this.
Crisis score: 53%.
Getty
17/20 4. Everton
Marco Silva’s side seem wedged in a rut. Four defeats in a row leaves Everton in the relegation zone during the international break and perhaps most concerning is that clubs like Sheffield United, Bournemouth and Burnley all found them so easy to beat. There has been plenty of money spent over the past couple of seasons so it is hard to see how the problem gets solved without a wholesale change of direction.
Crisis score: 56%.
Getty
18/20 3. Watford
We hesitate to condemn Watford, who have a happy knack of resurrection and will simply churn through managers until one’s arrival bounces them back up the league, but things have felt stale for a while now, going back to April when their slump began. Javi Gracia has gone, Quique Sanchez Flores is struggling to make much of an impact, and a goal difference of -16 from eight games is alarming.
Crisis score: 65%.
AFP/Getty
19/20 2. Newcastle
For all the optimism of the Longstaff brothers and the scalp of the club formerly known as Manchester United, Newcastle fans are unlikely to be fooled into thinking the glory days are just around the corner. A relegation scrap is imminent, and it will be an even harder slog than usual without Rafa Benitez. Meanwhile, Mike Ashley continues to lurk in the background like Dominic Cummings in a suit.
Crisis score: 73%.
Getty
20/20 1. Manchester United
The last time Manchester United made a genuinely successful transfer was David de Gea in 2011. The last time Manchester United appointed a genuinely successful manager was Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986. Current odds are shorter on relegation than the title. It is a club wandering directionless towards another decade of mediocrity, the kind Liverpool endured for so long, and it will take an overhaul across the board to fix. Although as Gary Neville points out, Axel Tuanzebe looks all right.
Crisis score: 92%.
Getty
“My vision, my ambition and my will is always to fight for the title and between the club, the players and the coach, we have the possibility to fight for the title. I think this club deserves to shine again.”
Luiz joined Arsenal from fellow top-four battlers Chelsea this summer.
After some early struggles at the back, he has helped his side to a run of eight games without defeat, and Arsenal have conceded just one goal in their last four games.
Manager Unai Emery was criticised for the early strife, but Luiz backs the Spaniard, and sees continued improvement moving forward.
“I think Unai is working very well with the plan to defend and then the plan to attack,” he added.
“I always say defending starts with the strikers and through the whole team, and you can see with modern football that the goalkeeper is now like a No 6.
“We are going to try and improve, we are already doing well and the last few games have showed that we are stronger in a defensive way. I want this club to improve in every part of the game.
“I think we’ve started really well and we just lost one game in the Premier League.
“I think the team is improving and now we are in third in the table but we want to finish this season fighting for the title.”
