Arsenal’s winning streak against Sunderland came to an end, with Sunderland scoring an equalizer in stoppage time on Saturday, leaving Manchester City within reach of Mikel Arteta’s goal.
Mikel Arteta reflects on Arsenal’s winless games for the first time in weeks. On Saturday night, Sunderland’s nine-game winning streak came to an abrupt end when they scored a late equalizer.
The Gunners have been heaped with praise of late, but that blunder, combined with Manchester City’s sublime performance less than 24 hours later, means Josep Guardiola’s side are on the upswing and have plenty of momentum.
With Liverpool’s decline, the race for the Premier League title is already a two-horse race, even though the season is only 11 games old. Arsenal invested heavily in the summer, bringing in a wealth of talent unlike any seen in the last 20 years.
But what they learned this weekend is that despite talk of transfers this summer, City are not a year away from being favorites. They have what it takes to regain the title they lost last season, but that hunger seems to be returning.
Arsenal became hunters last season for the first time in the Arteta era, but were unable to corner Liverpool. For the previous two years they had been chased, but unfortunately for them, City had succeeded on both occasions.
read more: Arsenal ‘hold meeting’ as Sunderland accused of putting Gunners star at riskread more: Arsenal’s next three games are important – Pep Guardiola will be on Mikel Arteta’s mind
It’s only half way through November, but there are already signs of a new onslaught from Guardiola trying to defeat his protégé once again. But never before have Arsenal been better equipped to end a top-flight drought dating back to their iconic 2004 side.
No one is panicking less than a third of the way through the season, but Arteta will know he has only dropped two points. The international break gives everyone a chance to do some soul-searching, and while City approach it with a spring in their step, Arsenal will have learned a harsh lesson.
Despite making a remarkable comeback during his tenure, Arteta is a man under pressure to deliver trophies this season. He would not be the first manager to endure a near miss or two before crossing the line, and the Arsenal manager could show he has learned the lessons of the past few years with the way he behaves and approaches this season.
I will play against City when I get the chance.
It may sound simple, but beating your direct rival is the best way to steal points from them. Waiting for favors is a risky strategy, and City have shown themselves not to be gifted often, especially at the end of the season. Arsenal’s only loss this year was against Liverpool.
They fought for points against Guardiola’s side in September. In both cases, they were considered the better team who were unable to press their advantage. City v Arsenal at the Etihad on April 18 is likely to be a date circled on Arteta’s calendar.
When they head north, their responsibility will not only be to take the three points against City, but to beat them. They drew with Manchester in the 2023/24 season, which some saw as a good result. They would be on the back foot in the title race, but Rodri commented on how the North Londoners played to the draw, something they would never do.
“When they came here they played us at the Etihad and I looked at them and thought, ‘Oh, they don’t want to beat us, they just want a draw,'” he said. “And given that mentality, I don’t think we would do it the same way.”
This group of Arsenal players are yet to win in the blue half of Manchester. The club have not won at the Etihad since January 2015. If they can stop that losing streak this season, it would be a big change.
Use all resources
As the years went by, Arsenal’s depth steadily increased thanks to shrewd reinforcements. Since establishing themselves as title contenders, they have added the likes of Declan Rice, David Raya, Victor Gokeres, Ebelesi Eze and Martin Zvimendi.
This means a repeat of the 2022/23 season, in which Arteta always had to rely on the same starting XI, is unlikely. William Saliba’s injury was costly this year, but Arsenal now have enough depth to cope with absences in almost every area of the pitch.
They also have the resources to recycle their starting lineup and change up the game without weakening the team, which was a challenge last year when all they could realistically do was poach players and bring in lower quality players.
have a killer attitude
If last season proved anything, it’s that you can’t afford a draw on the road, especially against a team you absolutely deserve to beat. City have won big games in the past, often coming through tough away matches.
Last season, when Arsenal were looking to put pressure on Liverpool, they dropped points to the likes of Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Everton.
It’s hard to imagine the Gunners losing another game, but they could still miss out on the title. The Reds showed in 2018/19 that a draw can be just as damaging as a loss. They lost just once in their six games and drew four times, ultimately opening the door to a relentless City team. Although they lost four games, they were ultimately crowned champions.
They shouldn’t dwell on draws at Sunderland, but if it starts happening regularly it could prove their undoing.
Good luck in the Carabao Cup
It may be considered the least desirable trophy available, but City proved in their early days under Guardiola that it can indeed act as a springboard. When the Catalan won the first three titles (2018, 2019, 2021), he won the Carabao Cup in the spring and then the title.
Above all, winning is a habit. It has become a habit to collect silverware. And for a team that has yet to taste such success, a win at Wembley will likely require defeating their main rivals, creating a winning environment within the squad.
It would put an end to the ‘you haven’t won trophies’ narrative for Arteta. If some people shrugged at Guardiola winning the Carabao Cup in 2018, they are not shrugging at the success he has had behind the scenes.
Arsenal have defeated Port Vale and Brighton so far and will face Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals in late December. With Newcastle, Chelsea and City all still in the hunt, the Gunners have the opportunity to land some notable scalps while underscoring their ambitions.
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