Arsenal is discovering the brutal reality about going toe-to-toe with Manchester City in the final stretch of a Premier League title race.
Perfection is pretty much essential. And at the moment, Arsenal is far from perfect.
Three straight draws 바카라 the most recent coming at home against Southampton, the league바카라s last-place team 바카라 has seen the long-time leaders lose the initiative, but not quite first place.
Arsenal바카라s credentials are being seriously questioned ahead of the ultimate test in English football and what many are billing a title decider: An away match against City.
바카라We really want it and we are going to show it again tomorrow night, but you have to deliver in the right moment the right performance, and it has to be perfection,바카라 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said Tuesday. 바카라Because that바카라s what this last level demands 바카라 absolute perfection.바카라
It바카라s something City is getting used to producing at this stage of the season. Just ask Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, whose team fell short of the title despite posting points totals of 97 (in 2018-19) and 92 (in 2021-22) while up against the City juggernaut.
In the first of those duels, City closed the league campaign with 14 straight victories to win the title by a point. Last season, the difference between the teams was also a point after City went its final 12 games unbeaten, winning 10 of them.
And the team coached by Pep Guardiola is at it again. Heading into Wednesday바카라s game at Etihad Stadium, City is on a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions, taking 25 points from a possible 27 in the league in that period.
Put simply, City has become a master at pacing its season.
바카라When we won our first Premier League title (under Guardiola) with 100 points (in 2017-18), we started the season like every game is a final,바카라 Guardiola said Tuesday. 바카라I remember perfectly that feeling 바카라 and Arsenal had that this season at the beginning.
바카라When we started this season, the first game, second game, third game, after back-to-back Premier League titles, they weren바카라t finals. But now the last few months, we had that feeling 바카라 in the FA Cup, Champions League, Premier League. That is the truth. We see the end is real, real close. Now we know exactly what we are playing for.바카라
That Arsenal still holds a five-point lead is testament to its extraordinary, improbable start to the season when the team had 50 points from a possible 57 at the halfway stage. These Gunners are young, though, and aren바카라t used to handling the pressure of a title race.
It바카라s why many view City as the favorite, considering its form, its two games in hand and its pedigree in these situations.
Asked whether nerves were to blame for throwing away two-goal leads in draws against Liverpool and West Ham and then dropping two more points in the 3-3 draw with Southampton on Friday, Arteta said: 바카라I think it바카라s more about the situation 바카라 the key moments in games haven바카라t gone our way. It could have been different.바카라
Like Bukayo Saka missing a penalty against West Ham that would have put Arsenal ahead 3-1. Or goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale gifting Southampton the lead inside 30 seconds with a sloppy pass out from his area.
What might really be hurting at the moment is the back injury to center back William Saliba, which has robbed Arsenal of one of its most reliable defenders and appears to have unsettled central defensive teammate Gabriel, too.
Saliba will be absent again on Wednesday, Arteta said, while midfielder Granit Xhaka remains a doubt after missing the game against Southampton because of illness.
What might have gone unnoticed amid Arsenal바카라s recent slip-ups is that the team is still on a 10-match unbeaten run in the league itself. It바카라s why Arteta retains hope and belief in his players, even if they lose to City.
바카라We are toe-to-toe with them,바카라 he said. 바카라We knew we had to go to the Etihad and we knew after that we바카라re going to have another five very difficult games.
바카라So is it going to define our season? The answer is no.바카라
As for Guardiola, he is just happy Arsenal has let City back in the race.
바카라After the first (half) of the Premier League that Arsenal has done,바카라 he said, 바카라it바카라s difficult to think at that moment that we바카라d be here now.바카라
