Arsenal will be hoping that history does not repeat itself, as the Gunners will now have to start worrying and realistically looking over their shoulders between now and the end of the current campaign.
All looked set and in place for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side to win a Premier League title for the first time since 2004, but a poor run of form over the past month has seen the Gunners’ season hanging by a thread.
If it makes it any worse, a familiar chasing foe in the form of Manchester City is closing ground on Arsenal. The Gunners’ 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend, coupled with City’s dominant 3-0 win over Chelsea, has more or less blown the title race wide open.
After finishing second for three seasons in a row, there is a genuine fear among Arsenal fans and a keen watch from neutrals to see if the Gunners will once again fall short in their chase of the Premier League.
What are the chances of Arsenal bottling the league?
As of the time of writing, Arsenal have a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League over Manchester City, but the catch is that City still have a game in hand against Crystal Palace.
This is where things get interesting. There is a potential scenario that City could already be level with Arsenal in a few weeks, depending on how results go. The Gunners will travel to the Etihad to take on Manchester City in a game that could more or less decide everything. Should City go ahead to win that fixture and also win their outstanding game, that would mean the six-point gap Arsenal has would have been nullified. This also means that goal difference between now and the end of the season could yet play a big part in deciding who wins the Premier League.
On the flip side, a win or even a draw for Arsenal could yet still keep them as firm favourites and preserve the fear of ‘bottling’ the league at least for the time being.
Despite all of that being said, the league is still in the Gunners’ hands, as they will most likely still end up winning the league if they can stay perfect even after losing to Manchester City.
Arsenal must first focus on Champions League outing
Before Arsenal worry about the trip to the Etihad to take on Manchester City, they must first try to go past Sporting to make it two consecutive semifinal appearances in the Champions League. The Gunners hold a 1-0 advantage going into the fixture on Wednesday and will be looking to advance further in front of their fans at the Emirates.