The Gunners stand nine games away from ending a 22-year Premier League title drought. They sit five points clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand. They topped the Champions League standings with a perfect eight wins from eight. They face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. They are overwhelming favourites for their FA Cup fifth-round tie at League One side Mansfield Town.

If everything falls into place, Arsenal could complete the greatest campaign in the club's history. And yet, the criticism will not stop.

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From Too Soft to Too Dull

Arsenal's barren run since Arsene Wenger's legendary Invincibles season in 2003-04 has been defined by accusations of being a soft touch. Too pretty, too fragile, lacking what is commonly called "bottle."

Now the tables have turned. Mikel Arteta's side are being branded as dull and over-pragmatic, relying on set-piece expertise rather than the purist style the club was once famous for. It is a peculiar contradiction. The same critics who once slated Arsenal for lacking grit now complain they have too much of it.

Sunday's 2-1 win over Chelsea at the Emirates was a case in point. Both Arsenal goals came from corners, prompting fresh accusations of one-dimensional football. But this was a side responding to the setback of throwing away a 2-0 lead at doomed Wolverhampton Wanderers, and following up an emphatic 4-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby.

That is the mark of a team with character. That is what title-winning sides do.

The Numbers Tell a Different Story

Strip away the narrative and look at what Arsenal have actually produced this season, and the criticism starts to look absurd.

Arsenal have scored the most goals in the Premier League with 58. They have conceded the fewest with 22. Their goal difference of +36 is the highest in the division.

Yes, they lead the league on goals scored from set pieces, with 21 compared to Manchester United's 15 in second place. Yes, they have scored 16 of their goals from corners, accounting for 27.6% of their total. But here is a statistic that rarely gets mentioned: Tottenham Hotspur have actually scored a higher percentage of their goals from corners, with 13 of 38, totalling 34.2%.

Arsenal have had more touches in the opposition box (981) than any other team, with Liverpool second on 939. They sit joint second with Brentford for creating big chances, with 87 compared to Manchester City's 89.

This is not a team relying solely on dead-ball situations. This is a team that is efficient, clinical and ruthless in every area of the pitch.

The Set-Piece Weapon Arsenal Refuse to Apologise For

Arteta has leaned heavily into the work of French set-piece coach Nicolas Jover and the superb delivery of Declan Rice. And why wouldn't he?

Set pieces are a legal and lethal weapon. Every team practises them. Arsenal have simply perfected them. The idea that scoring from corners somehow diminishes a victory is one of football's strangest snobberies.

Narrow, scrappy wins are usually celebrated as the hallmark of champions. They are the results that define title-winning campaigns. When Manchester City ground out similar victories during their run of six titles under Pep Guardiola, they were praised for their mentality. Arsenal deserve the same credit.

Arteta acknowledged after the Chelsea win that improvements are needed, particularly in game management. "It is certainly something we will discuss as we have to improve it and do better," he said. "I'm trying to stay calm, but we weren't getting the control we wanted, especially against 10 men."

But he also offered important context. "You see with every team that is winning games that everyone is suffering and the margins are so small. But it's good."

Living in the Shadow of Guardiola and Klopp

Part of Arsenal's problem is the standard set by their rivals. Guardiola's Manchester City became the purists' template with their mesmerising possession football. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool provided a thrilling counterpoint with explosive "heavy metal football" before Arne Slot continued the club's success in a more measured style.

Arteta has chosen a different path. His Arsenal are more pragmatic, more structured, more disciplined. It is not as aesthetically pleasing as the football played by those great City and Liverpool sides. But it is effective, and it is winning.

There is more than one way to win a Premier League title. The history books do not record how many goals came from open play versus set pieces. They record who lifted the trophy.

The April Showdown That Could Decide Everything

The defining moment of Arsenal's season may arrive in April, when they travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City. That fixture has the potential to settle the title race one way or another.

Until then, Arsenal must hold their nerve. That is the one quality that has been questioned most during Arteta's tenure, and it is the one quality that will matter most in the final stretch.

But if Arsenal do end that agonising 22-year wait and finally bring the Premier League title back to the Emirates Stadium, not a single Gunners supporter will care about the style points. No one will be counting how many corners they scored from or debating whether they were pleasing on the eye.

Arteta's job is to win. Right now, he is doing exactly that. And if the critics do not like how he is doing it, Arsenal will be more than happy for them to lump it.