Arsenal has dominated the season thus far, but supporters should be cautious as the team may collapse at the business end, like they did the previous year.
For Arsenal, December is typically a joyful and hopeful month. They led the league table at the end of December of the previous season, four points ahead of Manchester City. This season, they have emerged victorious in the month by increasing their lead to five points, despite the fact that City and Liverpool, two other contenders, still have a game remaining. With a reasonably trouble-free schedule until the end of the month—aside from the daunting trip to Anfield—Arsenal may end the month ahead of schedule.
But because of their legendary record of freezing in the final stretch, Arsenal supporters would still be holding out hope for their first championship since the Invincible season of 2003–04.
The previous season, in which Arsenal dominated the league for 248 days, is the best illustration. playing a straightforward but colourful style of football. Mikel Arteta’s team had an eight-point lead against City in the middle of January of the previous season, but the latter team not only overtook them but also won the championship with three games remaining. There were a number of reasons: in April, while the incredibly strong City put together 11 straight victories, Arsenal dropped nine points in four games spread over 17 days, and weariness crept in, intensity sagged, and pressure mounted.
A few of the more experienced, fate-hardened Arsenal supporters felt history cruelly repeating itself. After dominating the table for more than 125 days, Arsenal lost the Premier League title four times (2002–03; 2007–08, 2013–14, and 2022-23). As a result, despite Arsenal’s recent heroics in eking out points, they are cautious in their hope and confidence.
Good teams would only get tougher after losses. Despite their enormous skill set, Arsenal’s burgeoning talent was unprepared for the pressure of facing a formidable City team that was gunning for a third straight championship last season.
However, the core of the Arsenal team would have only grown smarter by the encounter. They are already squeezing out numerous points in the final moments of the game and scumming through victories. The winning goals against Brentford and both Manchester Clubs, except from Luton Town, as well as the equaliser against Chelsea, all came late in the contest.
