Leicester City’s rise to the top of the Premier League with just five games remaining has been a remarkable story, and has spread positivity across England in an otherwise cynical time for the much maligned image of English soccer. The flip side of Leicester’s rise has been the ongoing struggle of Arsenal, the team that many tipped at Christmas to be the top of the league by the end of the season.

Leicester City’s dynamic wing-play, 4-4-2 system and two solid centre backs have previously been trade marks of Arsene Wenger’s title-winning teams but many years have passed since Arsenal and Wenger’s last successful league campaign in 2003-4. Can Wenger learn from Leicester’s rise?

1. Unearthed gems are still out there

Wenger has historically been credited as being the man in European soccer that can spot the rough diamond whether it be the speed and finishing ability of a young Nicolas Anelka or the raw talent of a 20 year old Kolo Toure, but his ability to spot and acquire young previously unheard of talent seems to be on the wane. Leicester have proved through the signings of N’Gol Kantè and Riyadh Mahrez that there are still top quality players out there available if a manager is willing to take the risk. Mohamed Elneny’s emergence since his January signing has been well documented but Wenger has turned to more big-name signings and experienced names in recent years. Nobody can doubt the talent of Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez but the signings of Mathieu Debuchy, Lukas Podolski and David Ospina offer low risk but have come with little reward at the same time.

2. Old-fashioned center backs can still be effective

If we turn out minds back to the title winning teams of the Wenger era, there are a few themes that run through each starting 11. One is most certainly the simplicity of the center back pairing with Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell starting during the unbeaten season, Campbell alongside either Martin Keown or Tony Adams during the 2001-2 season and Keown and Adams present throughout the double-winning 1997-8 campaign. Although Laurent Koscieny has progressed in recent years and Per Mertersacker has clear leadership qualities, the insistence on playing out from the back has cost Arsenal. Plus the success of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth as well as the formidable partnership of John Terry and Gary Cahill last season shows that the strong, basic center back still leads to success in the Premier League.

3. The importance of changing tactics

Claudio Ranieri’s ability to set his team up to defend without possession for large portions of games whilst making sure their attacking threat is still active has created success against teams up and down the table whom enforce different tactics against the league leaders. His tactics are reminiscent of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid team. And their success in La Liga against the two biggest teams in Europe is certainly not a bad starting point for a team with Leicester’s resources. Wenger’s attacking, fluid way of setting out his team is not likely to change and there is much admiration for his consistently attractive teams during his spell as manager. However, his inability to change tactics from game to game is frustrating to Arsenal fans who feel that this rigidness puts the Gunners at an avoidable disadvantage against teams that find it so easy to play against Arsenal given they know the way Wenger’s team is going to approach the game. The 1-2 away win against Manchester City last season in which Arsenal had just 35% of possession was meant to be the start of a new tactically astute Arsene Wenger but this has not materialized.

4. Back to the future: 1-0 wins

Surprisingly, Arsenal and Leicester have kept the same number of clean sheets so far this season with Leicester conceding two fewer goals than Arsenal and finding the net two more times. However, Leicester have won 4 more games so the conclusion from these statistics shows that Arsenal aren’t scoring when it counts and are conceding in vital games. Arsenal have scored 12 goals in their last 5 games, which is double the amount that Leicester has. That sounds impressive until you realize that the Gunners have conceded 7 goals compared to Leicester’s 5 clean sheets in a row. The old days under George Graham where a 1-0 win and successful usage of the offside trap were the hallmarks of the team are a long way away and for good reason. But Wenger’s success has always been built on strong defensive performances and Arsenal’s usual end of season run of form in prior years has usually coincided with successive clean sheets that look unlikely in the current team.

5. Are 2 strikers better than 1?

Although the 4-4-2 has its limitations and the risk of a physically overrun midfield is a problem that Arsenal’s technical players have faced in recent years, the adherence to a rigid 4-2-3-1 system has left the Gunners with just 1 striker on the field at any time and this has amplified the weakness of that part of the team. Oliver Giroud has performed admirably over the past 3 seasons and he has hit 20 goals in all competitions this season but his immobility occasionally results in a congested attacking area with our attacking midfielders struggling to find the space they need to control the game. Danny Welbeck stretches the defense to create the space for our attacking midfielders but lacks the goal scoring and fitness record of Giroud and cannot be relied upon to hit 20 goals a year at the moment. Leicester’s combination of Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki has meant that there is always a forward stretching the opposition defense and a presence in the box; this can not be said for Arsenal with cries from the stadiums often bemoaning the lack of presence in the opposition penalty. Although a system with 2 strikers may not be practical against the top teams in the league, it could be an option for Wenger against the stubborn mid-lower table teams that Arsenal often seem to struggle against.

Playing badly and winning is often said to be the mark of champions. So, if Arsenal go on to win their fourth Premier League title this season, then we may be looking back at Saturday’s 1-0 result as an example of an ugly but crucial victory against a stubborn Newcastle United side.

Flamini, Mertesacker and Monreal returned to the side with Oxlade-Chamberlain retaining his place despite just one assist in his previous 34 league games for the Gunners. Koscielny’s 72nd minute header was the turning point after heading home a flick from Giroud from a set-piece. The Frenchman now has three goals against the Magpies.

Prior to the goal, Arsenal were fairly shaky, and the game was even — in terms of chances and possession — with Newcastle proving yet again that they save their best performances for the top teams. A second goal looked more likely than an equalizer as both teams tired following a busy period of games and the ability to push forward became more difficult for the away side. A solid victory for the Gunners and Wenger will be pleased that the potentially confidence-sapping defeat against Southampton now seems far away as the Gunners sit pretty at the summit of the league.

Here are five talking points from the game:

1. Wenger’s Rigid Tactics

Wenger has very rarely been a manager to adapt his tactics or team to neutralize the opponent’s strengths, which is why the victory away against Manchester City last season was seen as such a vital win as Arsenal sat deep, absorbed pressure and counter-attacked their way to an impressive victory. Against Newcastle, Wenger put Flamini straight back into the team following his injury last week and left Oxlade-Chamberlain in the side despite hugely lacking in confidence following a lengthy run of games without an assist or goal to his name. Wenger’s commitment to playing the right way and allowing his forwards the freedom to express themselves has been a big part of the reason why he is the most successful manager in Arsenal’s history and the longest serving manager in the Premier League, but will he be able to grind out results in the same way that Mourinho did last year with Chelsea?

The decline in standards of the Premier League’s top clubs this season has meant that Arsenal have their best chance to become Champions for a long time and it would be a shame if Wenger’s rigidness becomes their undoing.

2. Rest needed

The Christmas period has been hard on most teams, as always, and Arsenal are no different and that was evident in Saturday’s game with the whole front line looking tired and frustrated at different periods in the game. Ozil has had a remarkable run of form and still covered over 10km against Newcastle, but the movement of Giroud, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey was limited and when that happens the German struggles to create chances on his own.

Also, with the creativity starting further up the pitch following Cazorla’s injury, ball retention has suffered and that was most evident in with just 51% of the possession in a game where keeping the ball, having patience and tiring the opponent would have been a functional approach to the game. Fortunately, the return of several squad players and possible addition of a couple more in the next few weeks will be timely as the squad competes in the league, domestic cup and in Europe.

3. Coquelin still missed

One of the biggest success stories of last season was the emergence of Francis Coquelin as the starting defensive midfielder in a team that changed in order to accommodate his attributes and Cazorla’s new role in central midfield. His dual ability to press and intercept high up the pitch and tackle in deep positions means that he quickly became a vital player especially in games similar to Saturday’s against Newcastle. Flamini and Chambers have been the understudies whilst Coquelin has been out with Arteta, probably the next in line for that position, also injured. Flamini offers a feisty tackler and a decent user of the ball whereas Chambers offers physicality up and down the pitch but Coquelin has consistently offered a combination of all of their skills. The imminent signing of Mohamed Elneny from Basel could fill that skill gap but should not be relied upon so early in his Arsenal career and in such a crucial run of games. Hopefully, the frustration over Wenger’s reluctance to buy a defensive midfielder in the summer will not come back to haunt the Arsenal manager whom must have been away of Elneny given how quickly that transfer seems to have been realized.

4. Forward options lacking

With Giroud and Walcott both scoring goals regularly in recent weeks, the lack of depth of Arsenal’s forward line has been almost forgotten. Unlike prior years, the Gunners have cover in every defensive position including a goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in Premier League history and, despite recent injuries, several options in the defensive midfield role. What Arsenal doesn’t have at the moment are forward options with Welbeck coming back soon but not ever being a consistent goal scorer and Sanchez injured for at least a few more weeks. In Saturday’s game against Newcastle, it was the defensive solidarity that resulted in the victory and it’s vital that both the attacking and defensive sides of the team play well but the ability to keep a clean sheet will mean that the lack of cutting edge going forward in some games may be covered up.

5. Importance of Cech

Arsenal’s only summer transfer was probably the best piece of business in the league and one of the most important in recent history for the Gunners. The confidence he gives the back four has been clear since the start of the season and the game against Newcastle could have gone a different way if it wasn’t for the big Czech. His presence, security from set pieces and communication have all benefitted the team and his role in bouncing back from defeats and dealing with sustained periods of pressure in matches have been hugely important to the success of the team. When he returned to the Champions League side following the two defeats suffered under Ospina’s watch, the difference not only in the quality between the goalkeepers but the knock-on effect to the rest of the side was clear and from his early jitters against West Ham on the opening day, he has settled into the side as well as could ever be expected. There is no surprise that his introduction correlates with the best chance Arsenal have of winning the league since their last great goalkeeper Jens Lehmann left the club. When compared to Szczesny, Almunia and even Ospina, there is no question that a goalkeeper of his stature has been long overdue and is a rare example of Wenger purchasing an experienced player for an obviously weak position in the starting eleven.