Just to save you some time, no I’m not going to be positive about an 11th straight League defeat to Man City.
I will be negative regarding 4 games without a win where again we struggled to register that many shots on targets.
I will also not be pressured into changing my belief that mentally sustaining a title challenge is a step too far for Arsenal.
I think this defeat, not mathematically but mentally, knocks us out of title contention.
That’s not an insult to the Gunners, it’s a reflection we have the youngest squad in the division, and respect to the standards Pep Guardiola has set.
I feel some of my peers have lost sight of this; getting over the line in the Prem takes a special mindset..
The Champions have a dressing room full of talent who know how to get over the line, and that was evident in the second half.
We never truly kicked on after Saka’s penalty.
Gooners can’t blame a refs decision or VAR this time. One gave us a spot kick, the other overruled one that went against us.
How conspiracy theories will spin that I don’t know?
The reality is too many players are crippled by fear. The majority of these players couldn’t handle the pressure of a top 4 race so asking them to a year later cope with a title race is simply asking too much.
It’s zero coincidence that the first two goals we conceded came from defenders giving the ball away, not the first or last time they would do that.
That’s simply the occasion getting to the players.
The timing isn’t random that a Martinelli and Odegaard have gone off the boil.
Not a mystery why defenders are now being bullied.
It’s not a shock that Eddie Nketiah isn’t consistently scoring.
Again it’s not an indictment on the striker to say he’s just not good enough for the level we aspire to be.
Some Gooners will be positive for the sake of it, not that it has any bearing on the results.
When we were knocked out of the FA Cup some celebrated that we kept the deficit low and that somehow a 1-0 loss was a warning to the side that won that tie?
Some fans arrogantly dismissed the Cup as a trophy we know longer needed to concerns ourselves with.
How has being knocked out of that competition helped us at all ?
Performances at Goodison and home to Brentford were ignored because we were top of the table.
No doubt now I will read how we would have taken this scenario in the summer?
As our title bid dies before we even reach March we will then remind ourselves that top 4 was the aim.
I understand why it seems harsh to write us off the title.
Our fate is in our own hands , win every game we are Champions.
Yet it’s not the recent results that are the issue but the performances.
It’s four games on the trot now where we have struggled to make chances. You can’t just turn that on and off.
We look tired, a lack of imagination, players going missing.
For months this young group have been told how special they are while Man City have been criticised, some even saying Haaland has made them worse?
So imagine the mental impact to wake up and see that same Man City above you .
I have always agreed with Gary Neville that this title race could get away from Arsenal very quickly.
Do I see this group with the leadership to now go to Villa Park and win in must-win conditions?
Not really.
Can they go to Anfield, the City Ground, King Power, Saint James Park and handle pressure where even a draw is a bad result.
Where’s the evidence to suggest that?
Some readers will call me names yet it’s up to the players to prove me wrong and they haven’t.
If the pressure is too much now, why would it be any different come May ?
Let me stress, we have had a great season and Mikel Arteta has improved us.
Yet the second half on Wednesday proved we are not ready mentally to be Champions
Dan
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
WATCH Mikel Arteta discuss the errors and mistakes that lost us the Man City game..
WATCH EVERY ONE of Mikel Arteta’s and Jonas Eidevall’s Full Press conferences by subscribing to our YouTube Channel – JustArsenalVids
