The truth, they say, is bitter. This article might be a bitter pill to swallow for Arsenal fans. If there is a team you don’t get complacent about leading on the premier league table, it is Manchester City. And the closer they get to Arsenal, the more difficult it will become for the gunners to cope with the heat. With less than ten games to go in the league, with Arsenal four points above City (with a game in hand), Arsenal fans might not be as confident as they have been over the past couple of weeks. Here are a few reasons why Arsenal will bottle the league:
Two avoidable Away Draws
The draw against Liverpool and West Ham in successive weeks is not a good sign. Especially as both games were seemingly scripted. Arsenal takes the lead early in the game, scoring two goals, seeming confident and unplayable, then decapitate and bottles a two-goal lead. They seem unable to cope with the heat of riled-up home fans each time they play away. They couldn’t cope with the Anfield crowd and they couldn’t cope with the West Ham crowd. These are games that Manchester City will win comfortably. Arsenal has thrown away four very important points.
The Complex League climax
Towards the end of the season, teams fighting for relegation and for places in Europe make the league even harder to predict. No one wants to get relegated. West Ham showed that as they came out to fight the league-leading gunners in spite of being two goals down 14 minutes into the game. With 9 teams battling relegation this season, Arsenal will have harder games to play and will drop more points in the coming weeks.
Pep’s Experience vs Arteta’s Inexperience
Pep has had league battles in his time as a coach. Slugging it out with Real Madrid as Barcelona coach, and intense final day deciders with Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool, 2019 and 2022. So he has had this sort of struggle before and would do better than Mikel Arteta who is in an intense title race as a manager for the first time.
Young Arsenal Squad
Arsenal has a pretty young squad. Yes, that has a lot of advantages, which have brought the gunners thus far. But it also has its disadvantages, which have begun to play out over the past weeks. The boys zone out too many times and lose their momentum. Some players who are heavily depended upon seemed weighed down by the humongous responsibility. Saka’s performances against Liverpool and West Ham show he probably isn’t cut out to carry a team like Arsenal. He’s too young for that. Mature players like Partey and Xhaka have to sit up and take responsibility.
Erling Haaland
At the rate at which Erling Haaland is scoring goals, no one can stop him. It’s almost impossible. The man seems to be breaking a record with every goal he scores. With Haaland firing like he is, and the fiery form of Grealish and De Bruyne, Man City might just win all their remaining games. Arsenal does not have an Erling Haaland. There is Gabriel Jesus, but he is no Haaland. He can’t perform wonders like the City number 9.
The Etihad Hurdle
Arsenal still has to travel to the Etihad. That might be the league decider. The Etihad isn’t a place Arsenal have done well over the years. Going into that game with just a point above City will mount huge pressure on the Arsenal boys.
Bottom Line
I hope that Arsenal can surprise me and win the league to prove my analysis wrong. Also, I don’t think it’s good for the premier league that one team wins the league every year. I am grateful Arsenal have taken Liverpool’s place in chasing City this season. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope they perform a miracle.
