On Feb. 7, after losing 2-1 at Tottenham, Arsene Wenger and Arsenal were under fire.

The team was sixth in the league and looked lost in its hopes of finishing in the top four. At that point, the team had lost two of its last five games, and had dropped points in four of its last 10.

In essence, no one was looking at Arsenal as a title threat. Fast forward to April 12 and the team is six points behind a Chelsea side that has seen its share of struggles in recent weeks.

So what has gone right for Arsenal to make it such world beaters over the last eight games (all victories)?

Goaltending

Wojiciech Szczesny was once considered the team’s franchise keeper and was a fixture for years.

But after a number of frustrating years with the inconsistent keeper, Wenger made a move. He brought in Colombian keeper David Ospina to provide a challenge for his 24-year-old keeper hoping that competition would propel him to greater heights.

It didn’t work. And Szczesny was out of a spot at the turn of the year, with Arsenal in the middle of the table.

Since taking over, Ospina has been near perfect for the team, losing just one decision in the Premier League and another in the Champions League. He has been nothing if not terrific, providing the team with something that his Polish counterpart never could – concentration.

Szczesny has often been ridiculed for his ability to make a poor error at some point in the game that most goalies are not expected to make. Those mistakes would usually be costly ones, leaving the team fragile and an easy target.

But Ospina rarely makes those mistakes, allowing the team in front of him to play with greater poise moving forward.

Olivier Giroud

The Frenchman has drawn the ire of Gunners fans for years. He has the ability to score, but is maddeningly inconsistent. But over this run, he has managed to score the big goals the fan base has been hoping for. In his last eight games for Arsenal in all competitions, he has seven goals and one assist; every goal has come in a victory.

Mesut Ozil's Resurgence

When Arsenal brought in Mesut Ozil in the summer of 2013, everyone knew that he could be a huge difference maker for this club. And, at first, he was.

Then he went on a nasty slump that made him a target for fans. As the new season started, many hoped that he would recapture his early season form but he continued to languish. He became the ultimate scapegoat.

But Wenger stuck with his player and Ozil responded in kind with a tremendous display during this streak. He has five assists on the year in the Premier League; three of them have come in the current winning stretch.

He is helping carve out space for Giroud and Alexis Sanchez, exactly as it was originally intended and has found a new confidence with the ball that has made Arsenal extremely dangerous.

Balance Throughout the 4-2-3-1

For Wenger, playing a 4-2-3-1 has allowed his team to flourish.

Early on the team was trying out a plethora of formations including a 4-1-4-1 and 4-3-3. But the 4-2-3-1 has allowed the team solid attacking playing with defensive responsibility.

Francis Coquelin’s emergence in a defensive midfield role has allowed Wenger to feel comfortable in this formation and it has also allowed him to shelter less defensive midfielder such as Santi Cazorla into the middle of the park in order to pump up his offense.

Health

Arsenal is often struck by major injuries to Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey among others. It is almost a given year-in and year-out.

And it happened again in 2014-15.

But the team is now healthy and succeeding mightily. Depth has become a major asset for the team as such players as Walcott and Danny Welbeck have gone from regulars to super subs.