It is undeniable that losing 4 points against Liverpool and West Ham was a painful blow to Arsenal's championship ambition this season. However, it was not a knockout blow and in a duels with Man City, having to suffer a painful blow was normal, Mikel Arteta and his team needed to return to alertness soon.
There is one thing in common in the last 2 draws of the London team, they slowed down too early and let the opponent dominate to the point of not being able to regain control of the game. Arsenal players unexpectedly slowed down after taking a 2-goal lead early. It is unclear whether this is Arteta's direction or the players have been tired after the severe stages of the season?
Arsenal's squad is a mix of talented young players such as Bukayo Saka, interspersed with veteran pillars such as Granit Xhaka. In the context of the juniors being excited, the regulation of concentration needs to be more clearly demonstrated in those with a lot of experience.
Even in the decisive minutes like a penalty, the shooter should be Jorginho or Xhaka, not Saka. Arteta has a legitimate reason to explain and defend Saka, but if they lose to Man City in the championship race this season, that moment will be mentioned again, even a bit of a concern many times.
The title race is still under Arsenal's control, especially if they beat Manchester City in the final match of this month. In recent years when The Citizens dominated the Premier League, any team that wanted to compete with them had to approach perfection and wait for luck to lift the title. As Xhaka shared after the draw with West Ham, this is the time for Arsenal to refresh their squad and renew once again, thereby playing until the end in the remaining 7 matches of the season.
To have the best mental provisions for the big match on April 27, Arsenal need to blow the bottom team Southampton this weekend at the Emirates. 3 points is certainly the ultimate goal, but along with that, tactical changes should probably be experimented with.
Arteta is also looking forward to the match against Southampton to be able to welcome the return of Oleksandr Zinchenko and William Saliba - who are extremely important in the defense. Without them, Rod Holding and Kieran Tierney are still good but not good enough. In addition, The Gunners still have good players who have not played for a long time such as Emile Smith Rowe, who could become an offside card to defeat Man City.
Arsenal need to have the best face to travel to the Etihad with the task of winning or drawing and winning the remaining 6 matches of the season. Every task is extremely difficult, but more than ever, this is the time to prove the champion's mettle.
Arsenal have been top of the Premier League for most of the season. They need to be better than the team in the remaining 7 matches to maintain that stability in performance. If they lose to Man City early in this race, it will be a regret for the "Gunners". If they fail in the final rounds, it will be a pain that is difficult to swallow.
