When it comes to Arsenal, there is no shortage of anxiety around the run-in. From social media to the stands at the Emirates, there is a sense that something familiar is unfolding again.
Mikel Arteta and his squad have the opportunity to change that narrative on Sunday at the Etihad. The question is whether they have the courage to do it.
Arsenal have been here before. This is the fourth consecutive season they have found themselves in a title race, and each time they have fallen short near the final hurdle. The reasons have differed, but the pattern has not. That is where the insecurity comes from.
To Arteta’s credit, he has rebuilt Arsenal into a side that can compete consistently. That was not the case for much of the post-Invincibles era. This team is organised, difficult to beat and capable of controlling matches. But that control has come at a cost.
AFRICA PICKS: Football tips and predictions
Arsenal have become a team that fears losing more than it believes in winning. That fear is what defines this moment.
On paper, the situation is still in their hands. Arsenal are six points clear at the top. Even a draw at the Etihad would keep them in a strong position with five games to go. A win would almost end the race. But a defeat would shift the balance completely, not just in points but in belief.
It would reinforce every doubt that has followed this team over the past three seasons.
Recent form only adds to that concern. Arsenal have won just once in their last five matches in all competitions. Defeats to Manchester City, Southampton and Bournemouth, along with a goalless draw against Sporting, have exposed a drop in level at the worst possible time.
The hard-to-beat side that defines their early-season form is fading again. The issue is not just results. It is how they are playing.
Arsenal’s obsession with control has become a limitation. Their structure is built to remove risk, to close spaces, to avoid transitions. But in doing so, they have also taken away their own attacking edge. What was once a fluid and expressive front line has become choreographed routines on corner-kicks.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were direct, explosive and unpredictable threats. Now too often they are asked to hold width, recycle possession and, in Saka’s case, deliver from set-pieces.
At every key moment, Arsenal have shown a reluctance to step outside their structure, to take risks and trust themselves. That is why Sunday matters.
MORE: Wright doubts Arsenal in title run-in
Going to the Etihad and refusing to give an inch will not be enough. Manchester City are too good, too experienced and too ruthless for that approach. If Arsenal spend 90 minutes trying to survive, they will eventually break.
That does not mean abandoning structure or chasing the game recklessly. It means understanding that structure alone will not win a title. At some point, you have to take it.
If Arsenal win, they take control of the title race and silence the doubts that have followed them for years. If they lose, the questions will not just be about this season, but about whether this team, under this manager, is capable of finishing the job.
For three years, Arsenal have been close. Now they have to prove they are more than that.
Photo: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
