Arsenal ‘s biggest rival in the Premier League title race this season is not Man City but its immaturity…
Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal players are showing signs of decline. Photo: AFP
Before Arsenal entered the London derby against West Ham, Manchester City had beaten Leicester at home. A brace from Erling Haaland and a goal from John Stones helped the defending champions shorten the gap with the “Gunners” to 3 points and play 1 game less.
Therefore, Arsenal must win against West Ham if they do not want to let self-determination fall into the hands of the opponent. However, after 90 minutes, what remained for Arsenal fans was only disappointment.
This is the second game in a row Arsenal have dropped points despite taking a 2-goal lead. For the first time in history, this happened to them. The question arises, whether the “Gunners” are going down the same path as previous seasons.
Bukayo Saka is probably the player who regrets the most if Arsenal lose the title at the end of the season. In the most important period of the season, the English player lacked confidence and missed 11m. Worth mentioning, right after that, West Ham had an equalizer.
Saka has put aside the obsession after the defeat at EURO 2020 with England and has made great strides. This season, the 21-year-old has 12 goals and 10 assists for Arsenal in the Premier League and is a key player in attack.
Arsenal no longer maintain the stability as at the beginning of the season. Photo: AFP
The Englishman could still be a top contender for the Premier League player of the season award this season. But that won’t mean anything if Arsenal don’t win. Ironically, Saka’s own 11m kick moment could be the turning point in the race with Man City.
“No matter the outcome, I will always take responsibility for myself. Sorry Gunners, I will correct the mistake,” – Saka wrote on his personal page.
The opportunity for Saka to redeem himself will be a key match against Man City on April 27. If they win, Arsenal will win the championship, on the contrary, The Gunners still have to wait…
Saka’s 11m broken kick is one of the situations that shows Arsenal’s lack of bravery in recent rounds. Before that, most of their pillars were playing stably, but in the key period, mistakes appeared.
Against Liverpool, Granit Xhaka made an unnecessary tackle on Trent Alexander-Arnold that angered the home crowd and breathed life into Liverpool.
In the match against West Ham, Thomas Partey let Declan Rice easily steal the ball in the middle of the field and lead to a goal.
Is Arteta too immature before Pep Guardiola? Photo: AFP
Arsenal still adhere to Mikel Arteta’s tactics, the problem lies in psychology. And that’s not the image of a champion. Understandably, after nearly 20 years, the “Gunners” are as close to the Premier League title as they are now.
Long-distance racing experience is a factor Arsenal cannot compare to Man City, the team that won the last 4/5 seasons.
Arteta once said Arsenal must enter the last eight Premier League games this season with a mentality like “final matches”. However, in the first two matches in that series of eight finals, Arsenal showed the lack of bravery of a championship team.
The problem with Arsenal is probably that the young players have not cultivated enough bravery. Their average age is 24.6 – the youngest in the Premier League this season. With Arteta, he also has no experience leading a championship racing team. Moreover, the opponent of the 41-year-old strategist is the “teacher” Pep Guardiola.
How great Man City is, everyone understands, including Arteta and the Arsenal players. But not long ago , the Emirates Stadium team was 8 points ahead of The Citizens and should only blame themselves when they are in such a difficult position as they are now…
