What if Arsenal ended up letting the Premier League title slip away? In search of a new coronation since 2004, the Gunners seemed unstoppable this season and had taken off against Manchester City. But with six days to go, everything is now back on track. In addition to having been eliminated in the two national cups, Arsenal suffered a heavy disappointment against Bournemouth and could see the Cityzens – who have two games in hand – return to three points, while a clash between the two contenders is scheduled for next week at the Ethiad Stadium.
If the Londoners still have their destiny in their hands and could dispel doubts in the event of a victory against City, England is seriously concerned about the level of play recently displayed by Mikel Arteta’s men. “They could ruin everything by playing like that. They were bad at everything. No energy, listless — they seemed very, very nervous”recognized Alan Shearer, the former Newcastle striker, as the crowd at the Emirates Stadium whistled his players at the final whistle against Bournemouth.
Arsenal liquefied against Bournemouth
Mikel Arteta himself admitted that Arsenal had received a “Punched in the face. Today we have to suffer. It’s painful, it’s a terrible feeling, but tomorrow is another day…and if someone had told me in August that we’d be in this situation in April, I’m sure we all would have accepted it.”. For his part, the Telegraph evoked “the worst performance of the season at the Emirates Stadium”pointing in particular to the duo Declan Rice – Martin Zubimendi, who lost the ball 29 times.
“They played like they were scared. They are so close to winning their first title in 22 years and, now that the trophy is within reach, they seem to be running away from it. They were so hesitant that they seemed afraid to cross the center line.”adds the Daily Mail. But there is no urgency yet: Arsenal remains master of its destiny, and Pep Guardiola’s men will not be allowed to make mistakes in the last eight matches. Especially since, unlike the Gunners, they no longer have the Champions League to compete in. As Jamie Carragher summed it up well: “Arsenal find themselves in a situation today where, if the club does not win the Premier League, it will be remembered for a very long time”.
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