Manchester City have failed to win any of their last four Premier League matches, while Aston Villa have not claimed victory in their last two. This sequence of results is the type of form that should encourage Arsenal supporters as their side continues its pursuit of the league crown at the end of the season.
The Gunners have been widely regarded as the best team since the campaign began and still possess an excellent chance of lifting the title. Their consistency over the opening months placed them firmly in control of the standings, and expectations remain high that they can maintain that position until the final weeks. Yet recent performances suggest the margin for error is narrowing.
Rivals falter as Arsenal seek stability
Despite their strong overall record, Arsenal have not been at their best in recent weeks. There have been moments when they could easily have surrendered their place at the summit. They have managed to retain the top spot, although not always through dominance, but partly through fortune, as their nearest rivals struggled to build momentum.
When Manchester City and Aston Villa stutter, it provides Arsenal with an opportunity to pull clear of the chasing pack. These lapses should have allowed the Gunners to establish a commanding advantage. Instead, their own form has mirrored some of the inconsistency seen elsewhere in the division, limiting their ability to capitalise fully.
Title pressure and the need for consistency
Arsenal have been stagnant in consecutive weeks, collecting only one point from their match against Forest. At this stage of the season, every result carries heightened importance, and there is little room for complacency. The focus must remain on securing victories one game at a time if they are to protect their lead and convert promise into achievement.
The concern is that rivals may yet recover. Should Manchester City and Aston Villa rediscover their rhythm and assemble winning runs, the pressure on Arsenal would intensify significantly. In that scenario, maintaining composure will be vital, as any further hesitation could threaten their grip on first place and invite renewed scrutiny over whether they might “bottle” the title.
For now, Arsenal remain in control of their destiny. The failings of others have granted them breathing space, but reliance on rivals’ misfortune is not a sustainable strategy. To secure the Premier League crown, the Gunners must rediscover their sharpness, impose themselves consistently and ensure that recent luck is replaced by authority during the decisive phase of the campaign.
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Yes, because we’ve still got to play against Man United, Man City, Spuds, Newcastle and Chelsea
But I think our squad is better and contains more football superstars than our rivals’, thanks to Kroenke. This makes us able to withstand the injuries that have been plaguing our team in the last four seasons
I agree we can’t rely on our rivals misfortunes at all.
We really need an almost perfect run for this remaining 16 games.
Nah, it’s City and Villa that need an almost perfect run, which I don’t see happening given the flaws in their respective squads. City may have added Guehi but that isn’t going to fix their inability to defend against transitions,which Man United exploited to great effect.
We have a seven point cushion which will need a three game swing to go in City’s favour while we lose. On paper, they have harder remaining fixtures than us. They still have to go away to Liverpool,Tottenham, Chelsea, and Leeds. They still have to play us and face Villa on the final day. Meanwhile we are done with most of those fixtures. I don’t see this current City side winning all those games.
We will drop points but so will City. Villa don’t have the squad to go the entire distance and even Emery alluded to that.
Agree. Villa simply don’t have the squad to be title contenders. If they can do it, there’s no need for big teams to invest heavily in players.
With City’s injury hit defence and Rodri still short from his pre injury level, they are more likely than not going to leak goals and drop points. I can’t see them going on a run like they used to.
It looks like we can drop more points than we did last season and still win the title. That’s not unfounded optimism, just a pragmatic take on the current state of our rivals
Fans can be too demanding sometimes and lacking in perspective. A month ago in December we had just a two point lead on City. That has now been extended to 7 – shows just how consistent this team has been.
Fun fact: NOT ONE Premier League team has won two consecutive games in the last two game weeks. Everyone has dropped points and that points to a bigger issue.
These players are not robots. The schedule is brutal and this is bound to affect performances. Players have been complaining but fans have not been as vocal.
God bless you mate. Arsenal is not isolated from the troubles that befall others. This team has lost just two games all season so far, doesn’t that count for something?
Even the players want to be champions more than we the fans because it’s their career and they will be judged on that. Let’s stop berating and get right behind the team. Moreover, the worst team to play when season is more than half way are relegation battlers.
Once again, that we’re not losing should count for something. COYG
This last weekend really showed how teams playing in Europe are becoming exhausted by the relentless fixture schedule. Forest had 8 days free of fixtures to recover before playing us. Likewise Everton, Sunderland, West Ham and Man Utd won against teams that had European matches days before. The only team to break the pattern was Chelsea, quite impressively after that Carabao Cup match, though the scoreline doesn’t really tell the whole story there.
Let’s not be so negative. Have enough of that from the media and our rivals
Agree with Onyango – in particular about the schedule for the top clubs.
Back in the days of yore I never considered a 7 point cushion to be a worry unless it was Arsenal playing catch up. As supporters we beat ourselves up on a regular basis. Our competitors all have European fixtures too and have difficult fixtures themselves. It’s not about being complacent but recognising that CURRENTLY we are 7 points ahead of Villa and City who haven’t capitalised either. I’m not looking for disaster to strike. If it does I’ll wring my hands then.
Agree 100% Sue.
Plus we are trying to win the league after a longggg time. I see this club dominating for the next few years. But the initial breakthrough is tough. Back in the day when city were trying they failed multiple times in the league till they finally overcame the hurdle. That year also, we seemed to have derailed their campaign with a 1-0 win at the emirates courtesy a Mikel Arteta superstrike. But they went on to win after the final day drama. And then the rest was history.
Arsenal is at a similar stage I believe. There will be a few heartaches along the way. So lets keep the faith and enjoy the ride(if we can)
With our closest rivals contriving to hand us the Premier League on a plate, we’re doing our utmost to reject their hospitality.
I might be getting ahead of myself but if we can go on for a 5-win streak in the PL, I think we will be champions.
United H
Leeds A
Sunderland H
Brentford A
Spurs A
So in a way I think the next few matches are crucial. I believe during those fixtures our rivals will drop even more points and we can clear out 3 tricky away matches.
We will rue the missed opportunity only when the teams behind us do overtake us. Before then which I see is very unlikely, am enjoying the rollercoaster,.! 7 points clear…. Too going to Feb I’ll take that.
Now while I hear what is being said regards us not fully taking advantage of our rivals slips.
I ask the question, doe’s anyone really think we’re going to win all our games. My answer is no we’re not, and anyone who thinks we are, their just kidding themselves.
Yes we want our team to win every game they play, but in the real world that’s just not going to happen is it.
So when our rivals slip up, which they have ideally we want to take advantage of it obviously. But sometimes we don’t.
But as we saw at the weekend, having not fully taken advantage of our rivals slip, we still extended our lead to 7 points. And remember people weren’t happy with the draw.
This is what makes our League what it is, any team on any given week can beat each other, regardless of their league position.
Come on people, as I said earlier. Anyone who thinks we will win every game is just kidding themselves. A bit of reality is needed here.👍
I take exception to those who say that Arsenal will regret not taking advantage of our rivals poor form. This assertion seems to indicate that we deliberately refused to take advantage of the situation which is not the case. The fatigue that our rivals are suffering from is the same fatigue that we are experiencing. That is why having a big squad is a great advantage as we approach a crucial period in the season. There is no magic wand which you can use to take advantage of the other rivals’ poor form.
Precisely David – we could turn this assumption on its head and ask the question :
Will our rivals regret not taking advantage of our recent results and injury concerns?
I guess it depends if you a half full or half empty fan of the club,especially as we actually increased our lead over city115 and Villa, rather than the gap being narrowed.
OT PGMOL have just admitted that Mr Ebgkabd made a mistake with VAR and we SHOULD have been awarded a penalty in the Forest game.
Never mind, things equal themselves out over a season…. at least that’s what we are told.
thanks for the good news ken1945. is he darren England? i hope esp one of us read or hear that admission. i wish england would be at emirates this Sunday to instantly level unsettled matters
Thanks for spelling England for me Ambachew!! Yes, it’s Darren England and I concur with Jaz, that Mr Oliver can’t be blamed for yet another officials mistake against The Arsenal.
Anyone see that joke of a penalty awarded to Bournemouth against Brighton last night.
I wonder🤔 when the Brighton fans will come out shouting conspiracy. 🤦♂️
Should the Brighton players have walked off the pitch ?
Dan,
No they shouldn’t, but you could understand if they were tempted. 😂
Never because their goalie towel is not stolen, they weren’t denied training fields, security of players never threatened, didn’t have a legitimate goal disallowed, didn’t receive assurances of a win by authorities before the game, fans never abused, banana never thrown at them etc