Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge is slowly coming to an end after their 4-1 demolishing at the hands of Manchester City. They anticipated the outcome. They had actually been aware of it for days. Manchester City kept winning while their form faltered, first against Liverpool and West Ham, then against Southampton, the lead shrinking alarmingly as the trip to the Etihad Stadium drew closer. The concern was that the current setback would make an already difficult task impossible, and this was proven to be true. Blood was in the air at Manchester City. A game that was supposed to be a title battle instead came off as a total mismatch right away.
The title has not yet been chosen. Not now that Arsenal still leads by two points. However, the sense of inevitableness is now impossible to reject. Manchester City has won seven straight Premier League games while scoring 21 goals. This one appeared to be equally simple. Arsenal’s challenge may have been terminated by their first Premier League loss since mid-February when they were defeated by the same team at the Emirates, which is a testament to the high standards City have set. At the Etihad, they fell far short of it. The streak of draws for Arsenal, two of which saw them give up two-goal leads, had diminished both their confidence and the aura they had cultivated over the previous six months.
In the second minute, right-back Ben White, who is typically so reliable with the ball, was spotted passing directly to Ilkay Gundogan within his own half. His colleagues soon began to push similarly as a result of the City’s pressure. The players Arteta has relied on throughout the season appeared devoid of confidence. Martin Odegaard, who is often unflappable, launched the move that resulted in City’s third goal by passing the ball directly to Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian meted out terrible punishment not for the first time.
With the loss of Takehiro Tomiyasu, their right back, whose availability would have allowed Arteta to move White into the centre, and the injury to William Saliba, their most important defender, Arsenal will regret their injuries at this key stage in the season. He has turned to Rob Holding in their absence. With Erling Haaland on the field, the 27-year-old’s deficiencies, which were already clear in Arsenal’s previous games, were blatantly evident. However, even before Holding joined the team, Arsenal was displaying symptoms of ragged edges. Since the World Cup, they have given up two or more goals in eight of their 19 Premier League contests, compared to just two of their previous 14 contests.
Early in the season, Arsenal had a strong defense; lately, though, they have been giving up more shots and better chances as their rivals have been able to find space where they couldn’t before. As much as their dramatic victories over Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Bournemouth showed character, they also gave the impression that they were barely holding onto their momentum. The emotional toll of those victories is undeniable, and when games started to slip away from them, starting at Anfield earlier this month and continuing against West Ham and Southampton, the steeliness that characterized their ascent to the top of the Premier League gave way to panic and, eventually, surrender.
Arteta’s youthful side is definitely being affected by their pressure, as both physical and mental exhaustion are present. Arteta has relied on a core of players who are already exhibiting signs of strain because he lacks the depth Guardiola has, whose rotation has kept City fresh for precisely this point of the season. In fact, Arsenal has changed their starting lineup the fewest this season whereas City has changed their starting lineup the fifth most. Compared to City one, they have seven players who have more than 2,400 competition minutes under their belts this year.
In that regard, Arteta’s Arsenal project lags well behind Guardiola’s. Over the course of his stay, he has moulded the team into his image, but a simple comparison of the two benches on Wednesday night shows how much work is still needed if they are to catch up to City’s calibre. It comes as little surprise that they haven’t gotten there yet, but that’s little solace to Arsenal fans who were hoping for a Premier League championship this year. The team’s challenge now, knowing that their goal may have slipped from their grasp, is to get back on track in the remaining stages of the season.
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