The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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In recent seasons, Arsenal have seemed very close to winning the Premier League (EPL), but every time they reach the final stages, things change. This season seemed different, especially after staying at the top for a long time and building a large points gap over their main rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool.
However, recent results, including a 2-1 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth and yesterday’s 2-1 away defeat to Manchester City, have begun to raise the same old fears. The gap has narrowed to just 3 points, and the pressure on the title race is now high.
City, who have a wealth of experience winning titles in recent years, appear to be settling into their usual late-season pace. This has been a common pattern under Pep Guardiola of starting slowly, then finishing with a vengeance.
Now, as the season draws to a close, the question remains: will Arsenal be able to break their streak of last-minute defeats, or will history repeat itself?
April – a difficult month for Arteta
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For Mikel Arteta, April has continued to be a challenging month. The statistics clearly show that this is the month in which his team loses consistency, a trend that has been evident again this season.
In 2021, Arsenal under Arteta played 4 matches in April, winning just 1, drawing 1 and losing 2. In 2022, they played 5 matches, winning 2 but losing 3, with no draws.
In 2023, it played 5 matches, winning 1, drawing 3 and losing 1. The year 2024 was even better, it played 6 matches, winning 5 and losing only 1. In 2025, it played 5 matches, winning 2, drawing 3 and losing nothing.
And in 2026, they have played 2 matches so far and lost both. Despite the situation, Arteta continues to insist that there is still hope. He told reporters:
“We have full confidence that we can do this. Today we showed again what kind of team we are. It’s in our hands.”
He also added:
“We have lost ground with the result. They have a game in hand, we have three points. The championship race is still on.”
City and quality in the minutes of good night’s sleep
Manchester City have been in excellent form over the last four seasons of the EPL, dominating the last 10 matches of each season. In the 2021-22 season they won 7 matches without losing, drawing 3. In the 2022-23 season they improved even further, winning 9 matches and drawing 1 without losing at all.
In the 2023-24 season they won 8, drew 1 and lost only 1, while in 2024-25 they repeated their excellence by winning 7 and drawing 3 without defeat.
Overall, in the last four years, out of a total of 40 matches they have played, they have won 31 matches, drawn 8 and lost only 1 match, which shows their great consistency and dominance.
Team captain Bernardo Silva stressed the importance of the victory against Arsenal yesterday:
“It’s a huge win. It puts us in a position where if we win our game in hand we’re level on points.”
For analysts, this situation gives City a huge advantage. Danny Murphy said:
“I think they will win the championship on goal difference.”
This quality of finishing the season strongly is what makes City the biggest threat in this race.
Is history repeating itself?
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The big question that remains is whether Arsenal can change their narrative of recent years. They have often started well, but failed to finish the job.
On the other hand, City have built a reputation for winning under pressure, and many pundits believe that could happen again.
Wayne Rooney has a slightly different view:
“This title race isn’t over yet… there will still be changes. Arsenal still have a bit of a chance.”
But others see it differently. Pundit Gary Neville said of City:
“They are on the right track and it is a train that is difficult to stop.”
However, the final result will be determined by who can manage the pressure in the remaining matches, with City having 6 matches remaining, and Arsenal 5. As in previous seasons, these final stages will decide everything.
