Mikel Arteta and Arsenal need to make a statement vs Man City to avoid fresh heartbreak

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Mikel Arteta has been in this position before - and maybe that is why so many doubts are surrounding Arsenal ’s title challenge.

By the time Sunday’s potential decider at Manchester City kicks off, Arsenal will have been top of the Premier League for 198 days. Not quite as long as in 2022/23 when they were top for 248 days which is the most for any team which failed to win the title. City also hunted them down in 2023/24. Even after blowing the title in the past, this time would feel even worse and more cruel.

That is why Arsenal have to stand up and be counted on Sunday to restore belief and confidence into a season which is on the edge. Pep Guardiola ’s City are playing with flair while Arsenal look to have hit the wall at just the wrong time.

Amid the doom and gloom, it is easy to forget that Arsenal have been the best team in the Premier League for the vast majority of the season, they are into the semi-finals of the Champions League and are still in pole position in the title race.

Even if City win on Sunday, Opta gives Arsenal a 69 percent chance of winning the title. If it is a draw, they say Arsenal have an 89 percent chance. If they win, it will be 98 per cent in Arsenal’s favour.

But Arsenal need a performance to make a statement as much as anything because this is a team which is in danger of faltering again. They look tired. They have a growing injury list. But they still have an incredible opportunity to win the title.

When asked to rank the importance of Sunday in all of the games he has managed, Arteta said: “It's certainly the most important one because it's the next one.

“We have earned the right to be in this position, to be challenging and with the possibility to win and the opportunity to win on Sunday, arguably against the best team and the best manager that this league has ever seen.

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“That's a huge privilege, and we can't wait to play the game, and we're going to prepare the game to win it, that's for sure, and we see that as a big opportunity for us.”

Arteta clinched the club’s first back-to-back Champions League semi finals this week. Typically, it was a goalless draw which got them over the line rather than a morale-boosting victory ahead of the City game. But the Arsenal manager was still looking to the positives.

“It was a great night. It really gave us a boost because to be part of those top best European clubs is a big thing and we haven't been that often there so we really value that,” said Arteta.

“We give a huge credit to the players for what they've done, and they have to use that fuel, that energy that they gave us for Sunday, for the big game that we have to play.”

Arteta talked about playing with “fire” and “no fear” against Sporting Lisbon. It was not quite like that. But Arteta has used little gimmicks through the season to try and spice up training.

A couple of weeks ago they used pens in a training session as players balanced balls between their heads. This week, they lit a little fire at the training ground - in keeping with Arteta’s pre-match messaging - presumably as a symbol to burn negativity and relight the season.

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Arteta added: “Every game we use different themes to try to prepare the game in the best possible way and that depends on what we do.

“The fact that there is a theme is not that there is a big thing or it has to be. Every game has its particular aspects and the things that you have to be much aligned in what you want to see from the team. That is not going to change.

“That is part of the preparation and sometimes they are more visual, and sometimes they are more simple. It is crystal clear what we are playing for, what we have ahead of us, the opportunity that we want to achieve. That is it.”

It is time they did their talking on the pitch.

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