Arsenal’s bid to win the English Premier League for the first time since 2004 is in danger of imploding, but manager Mikel Arteta remains adamant the leaders can cope with the pressure of the title race.
Arteta’s side blew a two-goal lead for a second successive game as West Ham United hit back to snatch a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium on Sunday.
After squandering the same advantage in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool, the Gunners once again paid the price for taking their foot off the gas.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Although Arsenal are four points clear of second-placed Manchester City, it is the champions who have all the momentum heading into the final weeks of a gripping title battle.
With a home game against Arsenal looming on Wednesday next week, City know they will be crowned champions if they win their last eight games.
Ominously for Arsenal, manager Pep Guardiola’s men have already beaten them twice this season, winning 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the league in February, just weeks after knocking the Gunners out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory in Manchester. For Arsenal to no longer be in control of their own destiny is a bitter pill for Arteta to swallow after the north Londoners’ long spell at the top this term.
Arteta has said that Arsenal’s untimely collapses against West Ham and Liverpool were self-inflicted, with the Spaniard especially frustrated by the way his players took their strong position for granted on Sunday.
However, he refuses to accept it was the tension of being chased so relentlessly by City that provoked the calamitous results.
“I’m certain it is not the pressure. It is we misunderstood what was needed in that moment,” Arteta said.
“It was very different to Liverpool in terms of the pattern of play, but that is the next stage, you have to play with the same purpose when it is 2-0,” he said. “You have to have more composure to finish the game. When you drop your level so quickly the game is there for the opponent.”
Before the summit meeting with City, Arsenal host Southampton on Friday.
A victory over the bottom of the table Saints would move Arsenal seven points clear of City, who do not play in the league next weekend due to their FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United on Saturday.
Fueled by Erling Haaland’s record-breaking goal-spree City — winners of their past 10 games in all competitions — have the edge in the remaining matches after the Arsenal showdown.
Their toughest tests could come on trips to Fulham and Brentford, although their progress in the UEFA Champions League might also pose a distraction.
Arsenal’s trickiest fixtures could be a daunting visit to Newcastle United and a home game against in-form Brighton & Hove Albion, while a London derby against struggling Chelsea cannot be taken for granted.
Arteta does not believe Arsenal’s young squad are running out of steam toward the end of their unexpected title bid.
However, he plans to spend the days leading up to the Southampton game searching for answers to the blip that threatens to ruin their dream season.
“Fatigue? No. The best way to put it is to convince the team they can do it. We have to dig very deep and find the solution,” he said.
“We stopped playing with the purpose to score a third and fourth one. It looked too easy. We gave them hope and credit to West Ham, they took it,” he said. “We need that ruthless mindset to go kill a team and we haven’t done it.”
Juventus on Sunday stopped Inter from replacing SSC Napoli at the top of Serie A by beating their fierce rivals 1-0 and moving into the UEFA Champions League positions. Francisco Conceicao made sure that Napoli would stay two points ahead of reigning champions Inter by classily tucking home the winning goal 16 minutes before the end of an entertaining contest in Turin. Portugal attacker Conceicao netted his fourth goal of the season in all competitions after brilliant work from Randal Kolo Muani to give Juve a third straight league win. Juve are in fourth place on 46 points, ahead on goal-difference from SS
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
RSS