Arsenal have suffered a wobble in the title race after a defeat to Everton and a draw to Brentford. Now, this has left a lot of fans worried about what is going to happen given that Manchester City seem to be getting back to their best. To fully understand what will happen in the remaining few months, it is time to rewind.
Before we can do that, it is important to note that the Gunners still hold the upper hand over City. They are three points ahead with a game in hand and though they have to face Pep Guardiola twice, the ball is still in their court.
Arsenal And The Title
One of the common narratives that you will hear about the north Londoners this season is that their title challenge is similar to what Leicester City did in 2016. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, as what the Foxes did was a once in a lifetime achievement that no one expected.
With all due respect, the Gunners are a far bigger club that have always been in the conversation for trophies. Even under Mikel Arteta, the club and players have shown tremendous growth over the last few seasons.
This was particularly evident during the period of November to March last season. The form and results that were shown in that timeframe were that of a title winning side. It was the consistency that was missing, and it seems to have been found this season, at least so far.
The Other Title Races
It is a well-known fact that the north Londoners won their last Premier League in 2004 as the Invincibles. And if you ask people if they have come close to the title since then, they will usually talk about two seasons, the 2007-08 one and 2015-16. These are the two that will be talked about, but true fans know that there have been other misses.
The Gunners have been in the vicinity of the title in a few more seasons during this period and one of the most painful misses was in 2013-14. A season that unfortunately had the catastrophic slip of Steven Gerrard, without which Arsene Wenger could have lifted his fourth league title.
This is because the Gunners led the league for longer than any other club but ended up finishing the season fourth. A large part of this was because of the injury suffered by Aaron Ramsey who was easily one of the best players in the competition. Fans would start getting a sense of déjà vu when Gabriel Jesus got injured.
Now, it is not to say that the exact same thing is going to happen but you can understand why fans have that sense of trepidation. As the club becomes better and better and is able to hang with the big boys, it becomes almost a necessity to stay strong.
What If City Win?
One of the fears that the north Londoners’ fans have always had is that City are quite capable of going on a winning run. The quality of their squad is such that they can string together a few victories with no hassle. And the depth is another factor at work here.
Even without Joao Cancelo, the reigning champions are stocked with world class talent, the likes of which the Gunners do not possess. To answer the question of what happens if City win, the Emirates side still have a chance to get back their three point lead. So, there is no need to panic but a win does sound much better, doesn’t it?
The two league games against City are a test of how well Arteta is able to handle the pressure both on the pitch and off it. He is facing his mentor who has a long history of winning league titles and that experience does count for something, doesn’t it?
The Media
In an ideal world, you would not worry about what the media has to say. The biggest reason for this is that they often come from a place of malice and bias. They want the most engagement on their videos, articles etc and therefore, know exactly how to trigger the fans.
They have already created a narrative about what Arsenal have been doing. When the club does well, it is either because the league is weak or that no one expected this from them. And as with the last two games, when things start to go a little off the road, they will say that they always expected this from Arsenal.
Further narratives will be spun about how the club always crumbles under pressure even though that never happens on a regular basis. They understand that the Arsenal fans are quite reactionary and know how to make the best use of that. By pushing the right buttons, they are able to elicit a reaction that helps only them.
To be fair, every team thinks that the media is against them but in the case of the north Londoners, it is more often the truth. None of this can be used as an excuse for when the team does badly. But as fans we need to remember that just because a match is lost or drawn, it is not the end of the world, especially when there are so many games left in the season.
The Fans
Now, we have to talk about one of the most important aspects behind the success and failure of a club. Apart from this Brentford game, if you see the home crowd, they are electric and always push the team forward. That is because of the bond that the players have formed in the last season and a half.
We also need to understand that there is a big difference between the offline and online fans. Those who sit behind a screen and say things for attention are not the same ones that are packing the stadium every week. If you like many others have found it difficult to get a ticket and enjoy the Emirates atmosphere, you need to check out seatsnet.com.
Even those that are supporting the team, thousands of miles away do not want to do or say anything that will demoralise the players. They have earned your support and one or two bad performances is not going to change that. Remember that you backing the players does make them play just a little bit better and that can be the difference between 1st and 2nd.
Conclusion
Any title race is bound to have some unpredictable results that can change the fortunes of a club. It is all about how you react to that and that is one area where the Gunners have done well this season. After the defeat to Manchester United, they went on a brilliant run.
The defeat to Everton prompted a strong response last week but thanks to the incompetence of the referees, two points were lost. You cannot keep thinking about that now, as there is a bigger challenge waiting.
Regardless of what happens in the two games against Manchester City, this is a campaign that Arsenal should be proud of. They have shown that they can mix it with the best in the country and will be hoping that they have some silverware to show for it.
