4 reasons why Arsenal will finish in the top 4 this season | Premier League 2019-20

#1 Mikel Arteta finding the right personnel in midfield

Granit Xhaka is set to stay.

Granit Xhaka was a player who was poised to leave the Emirates in January, following his terrible incident with fans during Arsenal's game against Crystal Palace last year. However, the player has overcome his intial struggles and has emerged as a sound option in midfield under Mikel Arteta. The Swiss international now averages 5.1 long balls and 0.6 key passes per game, with a passing success percentage of 88.3.

Arteta's initial midfield partnership involved Xhaka and Lucas Torreira but it did not help the Gunners in attack, as both of them are best-suited to sitting in front of the back line, linking play and putting in the defensive shift. As a result, Dani Ceballos has lately been the first-choice alongside Xhaka, with Torreira being dropped to the bench. This proved to be quite helpful for Arsenal when it comes to breaking down deep defensive blocks, especially against teams like Everton and Newcastle.

Ceballos averages 1.1 key passes and 48 passes on average per game, whereas Torreira is at 0.6 and 33.8 respectively. He is also a better dribbler with 1.2 dribbles completed per game, while Torreira completes 0.6. The latter will likely be playing more Europa League games from now on till the end of the season.

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Special mentions to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bernd Leno, who are obviously the prime reasons why Arsenal are still in the top half of the table. The emergence of Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka has also been important to the cause.