After Arsenal lost at Villa Park, Man City won big against Sunderland. In just a few short hours, the gap the "Gunners" have created for many months has narrowed to only 2 points. Even Aston Villa are now only 3 points behind Arsenal. A race that seemed to be controlled by The Gunners suddenly became a breathless one.
The pressure is mounting on Mikel Arteta's shoulders, as he can clearly feel the "back of Pep Guardiola's neck" from Pep Guardiola's team. However, with the whole season covered in instability, the most important thing for Arsenal right now is not panic. They need to maintain a stable identity that has taken them to the top of the table throughout the early stages of the season.
In a long and fierce season like the Premier League, no team can avoid stumbling. Losing 1 or 2 matches is almost inevitable. It's not about whether you lose or not, it's about how you react to a fall. Arsenal have had their most difficult week of the season since the beginning of the season, visiting Chelsea, hosting Brentford at home and traveling to Villa Park. Few top teams have faced such a challenging schedule in such a short period of time.
On the other hand, Man City will soon face similar fierce streaks. This is the reason why Arsenal do not need to panic at the moment. However, they will certainly feel the pressure from The Citizens. Man City themselves are telling themselves that if they continue to stick close to the "Gunners" until April 2026, will the history of previous years repeat itself when Arsenal often lose steam in the second phase of the season.
For Pep Guardiola and his team, the task is not to immediately take the lead but to stick behind Arsenal, creating constant pressure. They want to observe Arsenal in their most stressful moments, to see how their opponents will feel when entering the hottest period of the season. That is the courage that has helped Man City dominate the tournament for many years.
However, the current Etihad team is no longer as scary as the previous destructive version. The Man City team that has won the championship for many consecutive seasons has almost not revealed any loopholes. But now, they give their opponents a chance to breathe. Every time they face The Citizens, the teams have a feeling that they can score, can cause damage. Pep Guardiola's army is no longer an impenetrable steel wall.
Therefore, the real advantage is still in Arsenal's hands, if they maintain the stability built from the beginning of the season. The prerequisite for winning the championship is not short-term explosive moments, it is the ability to keep the rhythm throughout the season.
This is a season of chaos. Almost every big team is in a corner. Liverpool fell into crisis with a series of failures. Chelsea had ups and downs and suddenly collapsed against Leeds. Man United remains unstable and cannot be a candidate in the championship race. Tottenham are now drifting in a directionless manner. Aston Villa was a few months ago still struggling in the bottom half of the rankings, now suddenly rising strongly and only 3 points away from the top of Arsenal. All of this creates a strange picture, where there is no truly stable force.
In that context, December became a real turning point. Christmas has always been a gold mine for Premier League points, with more intense competition than at any other time of the season. Whichever team maintains stability in mentality, physical strength and tactics during this period will put themselves in the most favorable position for the long-term race.
Man City have every hope. Closing the gap with Arsenal is certainly an important spiritual medicine for them. However, The Gunners are still in the lead. They are still the number one candidate for the championship, although their level of certainty is not as big as in recent weeks.
The race has really returned. However, for Arsenal, this is not the time to panic. This is the time for them to prove why they deserve to be number one in this year's campaign.
