Last month, coach Pep Guardiola commented that no one could win the Premier League from November, and Manchester City chasing Arsenal in the following weeks partly proved that.
The "Gunners" may be leading, but Man City still have many impressive championship seasons. Meanwhile, other competitors are gradually revealing their weaknesses in the race for the throne.
Since Guardiola sent a warning to Arsenal, Man City have won five of their last six Premier League games, picking up 15 points. In contrast, Mikel Arteta's side have dropped seven points in the same period.
Aston Villa had a perfect run and emerged as a third candidate. However, recent history and limited squad depth show that the title race is likely to revolve around Man City and Arsenal.
Although both teams won all 3 points in the weekend round, the way and the winning score against opponents of very different skill levels partly reflected the opposite trend. Man City are gradually regaining their form at the right time, while Arsenal are starting to show signs of slowing down.
The Citizens will visit Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park, who started the round in fourth place and have only lost one home game since the start of the season. Meanwhile, Arsenal host Wolves, who have the worst statistics in Premier League history.
The match at Selhurst Park was not easy as Crystal Palace twice sent the ball into the post and crossbar, but by the end of the match, the 3-0 victory became quite easy for Man City. This was also their biggest away win against Palace.
On the other hand, Arsenal had to rely on two home goals, including a goal in the 93rd minute, to narrowly overcome Wolves. For Man City, no one would have thought of any other scenario than a tense title race.
Arsenal understand that Man City are often much stronger in the second half of the season. And despite the problems they have faced, including losing two of their opening three games, Guardiola's side are still in the position they want.
Guardiola has always been proactive in developing a competition plan with the goal of helping the players achieve optimal physical condition at the decisive moment. And City's record in the last 19 games of each season compared to the first 19 has clearly reflected that.
In the last 7 seasons, Man City has won more points in the second leg in 5 seasons. In one of the two seasons they did not improve in the second half, the 2022-2023 season, the reason was that the team declined after being crowned three rounds early.
The 2017-2018, when City set a record of 100 points, was also an exception because they overwhelmed their opponents from the start of the season. Apart from these two seasons, the Etihad team has shown a clear improvement in the final stages.
In the 2018-2019 season, Man City only finished third at the mid-season but won 54 out of 57 possible points, thereby overcoming Liverpool to win the championship by only one point. In the 2023-2024 season, they continued to narrow the gap with Arsenal with an impressive streak of form, winning 16 out of 19 matches, remaining unbeaten and accumulating 51 points.
In general, Arsenal will need to be very cautious with Man City if they do not want to continue to miss the Premier League title.
