The narrative after Manchester City’s win over Liverpool is that the title race is back on, when really, it was never off.
Arsenal started matchday 25 six points clear and ended it six points clear, as Mikel Arteta’s side continue to do what they can to win the league, which is simply: win their games.
That doesn’t mean to say that Man City’s late win at Anfield wasn’t a talking point, as Pep Guardiola’s squad gained huge momentum by stealing a victory late on at a ground they hadn’t won at since 2003.
Still, the ball is firmly in Arsenal’s court, and Arteta knows that, as do the Man City squad.
Fill in the blank: Right now as an Arsenal fan, I feel _______ about Man City and Erling Haaland’s form…
Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva’s comments on the title race are a boost for Arsenal
Naturally, Guardiola will fancy his chances in the title race against Arteta, given that his Man City team beat the Gunners to the top spot in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
After the win at Anfield, the mind games will continue, all leading up to the blockbuster at the Etihad in April, which could be history-making.
For all of the celebrations at Anfield from the Man City players, they let their guard down and exposed a huge weakness to Arsenal, something that clearly didn’t sit well with Guardiola.
Bernardo Silva was open and honest about his thoughts on the title race, revealing a severe mentality weakness to Sky Sports after City’s win.
“I think the whole team knew that, probably, if we lost this game, the title race is over. We will fight until the end, but six points is still six points.”
Agree or disagree, Man City showed a HUGE mentality weakness after beating Liverpool
Did Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva mess up here?
It was a strong message from Silva, and one that was a massive boost for Arsenal, particularly as Guardiola then responded to the comments.
“Maybe I am more optimistic than them,” Guardiola said in his post-match press conference.
“I know nine points watching Arsenal is difficult, are they going to lose more than three or four games? Probably no. Football, you never know.”
The two opinions on the title race revealed a huge push in the right direction for Arsenal, as for once, it’s Man City’s mentality that’s questionable, not the Gunners’.
Arsenal’s task is so clear now
Winning the Premier League title is not easy, but for Arsenal, the demands are very simple.
Sitting six points clear with 13 games to go, Arteta’s task couldn’t be easier to map out.
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Arsenal need to keep winning, which is obvious, but the motivation isn’t just the league title, but to ensure there’s a sizeable gap when the trip to the Etihad dawns upon us.
The last thing Arteta will want is to go to the Etihad with a small enough lead to make the game more definitive than it already is.
What’s guaranteed is that the run-in to the end of the season is going to be thrilling, with all eyes on Arteta’s league leaders.
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