Cesc Fabregas has now revealed what he expects from Arsenal when they take on Sheffield United on Monday evening.
The pressure is now on Arsenal to keep up their pace in the Premier League title race, after Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table with a 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Seeing Darwin Nunez snatch a winner for the Reds in the dying seconds of their match at the City Ground will have been a bitter blow for the Gunners, who need the Merseyside outfit to drop points.
Jurgen Klopp’s side now have 63 points, having played one game more than Manchester City and Arsenal, who sit on 59 points and 58 points, respectively. By the time the Gunners kick off at Bramall Lane on Monday night, Manchester City will already have played their game in hand. The reigning champions face Manchester United in a derby clash this evening, and will be considered favourites heading into that encounter.
As the last team of this title-chasing trio to play in this round of top flight fixtures, there is additional pressure on Arsenal. Mikel Arteta will now be doing all he can to ensure that nerves don’t cause his side to slip up against the struggling Sheffield United.
Arsenal must show they can respond to Premier League pressure against Sheffield United
Cesc Fabregas has now shared his view on how this order of fixtures will affect Arsenal, and what he still expects to see from the north London club on Monday evening. As quoted by the BBC, the former midfielder said, “it shouldn’t [affect the players] but unfortunately, mentally, it works this way…but I think in the Premier League nowadays they are two levels up and I believe that they know exactly what they’re doing.”
“If they [title rivals] have won, they put pressure on you…but, at the moment, I see Arsenal a little bit too strong to be dropping points there.”
Bukayo Saka has recently talked up how hungry this Arsenal squad are to win titles. Having fallen agonisingly short of securing a Premier League triumph this season, they will be keen to ensure that, even if they do miss out this time around, that they do everything in their power to stand a chance of being crowned champions.
If Manchester City or Liverpool are able to go through the rest of the campaign without dropping another point, then Arsenal will not win the title. All the Gunners can do is win their own matches, starting with Sheffield United.
The Gunners have been in incredible form domestically in recent weeks. On paper, they should be able to pull the Blades – who are rooted to the foot of the table – apart. In order to do that, though, Arsenal must be able to master their nerves and rise above the pressure.
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