I’m acutely aware that a draw on Wednesday night would mean our destiny is not in our own hands. Yet if you offered me a point right now, I would bite your hands off for it.
That’s because I respect the standards Pep Guardiola has set in English Football and realise the size of the task we face.
With minutes to go at Anfield, this was a fixture we could afford to lose and still have our own fate under our control.
A point at the London Stadium made bookies make Man City favourites for the title for the first time in a while.
That’s because it looked like we would need to at least hold them at the Etihad to stay in the driving seat.
3-3 with Southampton now means if we don’t win in midweek, we need a favour elsewhere.
Quite simply our record in this fixture Is terrible. We haven’t beaten the Champions in the League in our last 14 attempts.
We normally at least concede 3 and they usually score in the opening 20 minutes.
Such is the dominance some Gooners celebrated our FA Cup exit as progress because we ‘only’ lost 1-0.
Some even saw their 3-1 win at the Emirates as positive!
On Friday, there was evidence all over the pitch that the pressure is too much for some of our players. Meanwhile City are playing with smiles on their faces.
They have a squad used to the demands of April and May; We have those who were crippled by the fear of failure 12 months ago over a race for top 4.
What separates the great from the good is who shows up at ‘squeaky bum time’.
One dressing room has experience of doing that every year, the other only a few leaders.
They’re are putting their annual winning sequence together, we are dropping silly points.
Just like Gary Neville warned would happen.
He says this is just another big game to City.
Occasions City like and get excited about.
Some pundits say that should be our attitude.
We should be buzzing to be in a game of this magnitude and relishing what the reward is.
For all the doubters, the fact is, with 6 fixtures left, the Gunners have their destiny in their own control.
They are 90 mins away from being so close to immortality, a night we could look back on as crucial in our history.
That should be our stance, but I fear it won’t be.
I do wonder how many of our players believe they can win at the Etihad?
I think there’s an inferior complex.
Take the emotion out of it, and it’s hard to make an argument why this won’t be our annual humiliation on the blue half of Manchester.
That’s why I think with 10 mins to go, if we are level, we take the result and get out of there with a point.
City then slipping up elsewhere is more realistic.
We can’t win the Championship this week, but we can lose it.
Not mathematically: Whatever happens we are top of the table Thursday morning.
Yet a scenario where City are two points behind us with two games in hand means they can afford to lose a game and still finish above us.
I’m very interested Gooners.
If you offered a draw now, would you take it?
Dan Smith
Mikel Arteta in positive mood ahead of Man City visit – “If you want to be champions, you have to win those matches. It’s as simple as that.”
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