For the first time this season, Arsenal has shown the poor level of form from previous campaigns which has allowed the haters have a field day at the fans, claiming that their aspirations to win the Premier League this season was a sham at best.
Prior to the loss against Man City in the FA Cup, Arsenal’s last defeat arrived in the hands of Brighton in the Carabao Cup, but after the World Cup break, the Gunners had won five of their last six games, which included very important victories in the League against arch-rivals, Tottenham and Manchester United.
You could tell from the initial defeat in the FA Cup that the team played so well and failed to deal with the chances afforded to them. You can’t look further than the close shots Leandro Trossard and Takehiro Tomiyasu had on the night that was saved by Ortega, but when you miss chances like that, they always come back to bite you on the face and that happened from the most unlikeliest of sources, Nathan Ake, eliminating Arsenal from the competition.
What followed was a visit to Goodison Park to take on Everton and their new manager, Satanball’s very own Sean Dyche. There was the cut back to Martin Odegaard that was launched into orbit, the Eddie Nketiah shot that killed an eagle in the sky and sadly, the Bukayo Saka goal-bound shot that was stopped on the line by Conor Coady. More chances missed. Everton had one corner and Odegaard could have done better against James Tarkowski, Aaron Ramsdale should have stationed a player on his far post – none of that happened and Arsenal was on the end of their first defeat in 14 league games.
Well, not all doom and gloom – there was the Brentford game at home, the same ground that the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham were vanquished. Arsenal had all the possession in the world, while Brentford had the big chances but when Trossard scored that goal, the Emirates went into rapture and we expected the team to go into cruise control, but sadly, poor defending and terrible officiating took center stage as Brentford shared the spoils of battle with their hosts, which made the clash against Man City a game of the season contender.
Man City came to town and showed their quality, recovering from what was an eight point advantage at some point, to leveling up, and going above their title challengers on goal difference.
Arsenal’s captain, Odegaard, has called for calm, stating that there’s a long way to go and we have to keep working hard and take it game by game. He touched on how we had many games to play and how we have the quality to bounce back and get those vital wins.
That’s the mentality I expect from the team that has been one of the most consistent in the league this season. We have 51 points on the log table because he have played some of the best football in the Premier League this season and have won many matches with our 11 heroes on the pitch. A blip in form like this shouldn’t deter us from trying to achieve our goals, and this is the point where we as fans have to rally behind the lads and give them our uttermost support because something exciting has been brewing at the Emirates this season.
It’s not like Man City is that invincible. They were just more clinical on the night. Remember that they have suffered defeats to Liverpool, Man Utd, Brentford and Tottenham this season, and the Premier League always has its own twists and turns, giving us so much drama each week. If Arsenal wins their game in hand against Everton at home on March 1st, the Gunners will return to the summit of the table.
Aston Villa comes up next and we would expect the team to shake off their jitters, pick up the pieces and focus on getting three vital points to put their title charge back on track. Arsenal plays the first game of the Gameweek so getting those three points, sends them back to the top, giving them a psychological advantage against their rivals, Man City.
Man City might have won the Battle of the Emirates, but the Premier League war is far from over.
Sayonara
