Arsenal are now eleven points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, with the title beginning to look completely out of sight.
The Gunners had hope heading into this weekend after the Merseysiders dropped points in midweek against Aston Villa and faced a tough trip to the Etihad.
However, this hope was diminished as West Ham beat Arsenal at the Emirates, and Liverpool cruised to victory against Manchester City.
There’s now an acceptance that the North Londoners won’t be lifting the piece of silverware that has eluded them since 2004 this season, and Gary Neville has theorised why this is.
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Gary Neville reveals why Arsenal won’t win the title
Arsenal were lacklustre against West Ham, struggling to break down a resolute low block.
Martin Odegaard struggled to impact the game, leaving the Gunners with a void of creativity, alongside a makeshift front line that was led by Mikel Merino.
Despite the personnel issues, Neville doesn’t attribute Arsenal’s title failings to this, but rather their obsession with set-pieces and the lack of freedom in their playing style.
Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, the outspoken pundit said: “Questions will start to be asked… because it’s that type of season where you think it was up for grabs.
“Arne Slot has come in as the new manager, [Jurgen] Klopp’s left. I certainly felt there would be a drop-off at Liverpool, but Slot has been such a cool customer from day one. He’s in complete control.
“Arsenal have become quite rigid, they’ve become quite turgid at times to watch. This obsession with set-pieces, which was overtaking their whole game, exacerbated by this presence of the set-piece coach on the touchline which puts more focus on set-pieces.
“It’s like… no. The freedom’s gone a little bit from them.
“I know that they’ve lost Saka, and I know that they’ve lost Jesus, and I know they’ve lost Havertz, which are big blows. I mean, let’s be clear, that is that is a big problem for Arsenal. But I still think you’ve got to do that job yesterday against West Ham at home.”
Gary Neville is wrong about Arsenal’s issues
Mikel Arteta is one of the most meticulous coaches in the world – he hasn’t lost sight of other aspects of Arsenal’s game to focus on set-pieces.
Perhaps the Spaniard is slightly too pragmatic at times, but with a fully fit squad, his side have broken their goal-scoring record in each of the last two seasons.
Bukayo Saka is out until mid-March, and his return should demonstrate that Arsenal can still be an impressive attacking team when they have their best player available.
Ultimately, when deploying a front three consisting of a 30-year-old, a 17-year-old and a midfielder, the quality in the final third isn’t going to be sufficient enough to overcome most Premier League teams.
When Arsenal were fit and firing between mid-November and mid-December, and scoring goals for fun, no-one was questioning the Gunners’ excellence from set-pieces.
Recency bias has ultimately sparked Neville’s comments.
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