Arsenal fans have seen our own team at the top of the Premier League table plenty of times in recent years, although never when it really matters at the end of the long campaign. Just a couple of years ago we spent more time on the top than any of our rivals and more than most of them put together but ended up having to see Man City lift the EPL trophy having enjoyed a late surge.
Most of the big boys have spent time at the top of the table and missed out, of course, so you might not be too concerned to see Manchester United in pole position after the first two games. The problem is not just that they are looking strong all over the pitch, because you could say the same for plenty of sides at certain times, but the fact that Jose Mourinho tends to be a hard man to stop when he gets in front.
As Daily Mail journalist Martin Samuels explains, the last time the Portuguese won the Premier League was with Chelsea in 2015 and they led from the very first game and were never off the top all season. That also came after the same team struggled the previous season and they were even worse the year after.
Give the guy a lead, though, and he becomes a different animal and so do his players. The same thing happened in his first stint at Stamford Bridge, so Arsenal need to make sure that daylight does not appear between us and that means we have to go all out for the victory over Liverpool at Anfield. Playing safe and taking a point will not be enough.
United’s next two games are the same as our first two, home to Leicester and away to Stoke but do not expect them to struggle as we did. Can the Gunners keep United in our sights long enough to make the pressure count?
Bob.