While the Etihad loss stung, Arsenal's title hopes may have been slipping through their fingers since January. | AFP
Image: AFP
COMMENT
While Sunday's clash against Manchester City was billed at the season-defining moment for Arsenal's title credentials, in truth the killer blow can be traced back a lot further than that.
Some may think it was landed in that dramatic League Cup final defeat to Pep Guardiola's Citizens. But it goes back even further than that ... a few seasons, in fact.
Arsenal's Achilles heel remains the stretch in the league championship race from January to May. And it is no coincidence that the cracks in the facade started showing at that stage this season.
Things seemed to be going swimmingly for the Gunners in the first half of the season as they roared to the summit after strengthening in almost every department. They saw Liverpool's early title challenge fade, with City seemingly in disarray.
Yet they made one fatal mistake – they left the door open for a City team who are past masters at building up a head of steam after the turn of the year, and at seeing out the tightest of title races that have often gone down to the wire. That winner's mentality has been engrained in the Citizens and has seemingly been passed on from one generation to the next.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that the Catalan manager has only lost a couple of matches in May in amassing a whopping six league titles – with number seven almost in the bag – as he approaches a decade at the Etihad. Should they beat basement-dwellers Burnley on Wednesday, they will overtake Arsenal at the top of the table, with both teams level on 70 points.
There could still be a few more twists in the matches left in the run-in, but the odds are stacked heavily in City's favour. Sir Alex Ferguson was renowned for infusing his title-winning teams with new talent hungry for similar glory who would not allow the rest of their teammates to rest on their laurels. Pep may have borrowed from that playbook.
They also say teams often mirror their manager, and City's relentless drive is proof of that. So what do Arsenal's obvious frailties reveal about Arteta?
In Liverpool's two Premier League title victories, the key was that they went out full-throttle and ensured that the contest was almost wrapped up by Christmas — after two narrow one-point losses and more than 90 points had shown what it takes to put Manchester City to bed. You just can't give them the slightest glimmer of hope... or you end up with the participation prize once again.
It is a lesson Arteta is learning the hard way, but one that may be absolutely necessary if he is to dethrone his former mentor and reclaim England's top prize for the Gunners for the first time since their Invincibles season.
Liverpool may once again prove instructive in this regard. They finally got over the line after winning the Champions League, and if Arsenal can claim their maiden European prize, it could set them up for another tilt at the title should the miracle they are now surely praying for not come to fruition.
Arsenal (70 points)
Saturday: Newcastle (H)
2 May: Fulham (H)
10 May: West Ham (A)
17 May: Burnley (H)
24 May: Crystal Palace (A)
Manchester City (67 points)
Wednesday: Burnley (A)
4 May: Everton (A)
May (TBC): Brentford (H)
19 May: Bournemouth (A)
22 May: Crystal Palace (A)
24 May: Aston Villa (H)