Sports

Arteta: Arsenal can beat Man City if…

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, says the club’s game against Manchester City on Wednesday is not a Premier League title decider.

Arteta, however, said his side must be perfect in order to stay top of the table.

City and Arsenal go into their potential Premier League title decider both on long unbeaten runs but with momentum perhaps swinging towards City.

The Gunners are on a run of three dramatic draws in succession, and with questions being asked over their nerve in the run-in.

They led 2-0 early on against both Liverpool and West Ham, only to be pegged back and draw 2-2. Against Southampton, by contrast, they trailed 2-0 and 3-1 before scoring twice in the last three minutes to salvage a 3-3 draw.

Arsenal had won seven straight league games previously, including three in a row by three-goal margins, giving them 24 points from a possible 30.

That run was interrupted by a Europa League exit on penalties to Sporting Lisbon, drawing both legs of the last-16 tie, but they remain unbeaten in 10 league games – one more than City, and scoring three goals or more in seven of those games – and 12 in all competitions.

Speaking on Tuesday, Arteta said: “If we win tomorrow night we haven’t won the league, that’s for sure. It will shift the percentages a little bit, but with five games left after this, it will still be very tricky.

“We wanted to close that gap as much as we could and we’re toe-to-toe with them. We knew we had to go to the Etihad. Is it going to define the season? The answer is no.

“Mentality plays a huge part. Obviously, the belief is there. When I look at how they train and the way they’ve reacted, the mood in the dressing room, and the way they defend each other, we really want it.

READ ALSO: EPL: Arsenal’s title hopes hit major blow in 3-3 draw against Southampton

“We’re going to show that again tomorrow night. But we have to deliver in the right moment with the right performance and it has to be perfection because that’s what this last level demands – absolute perfection.”

City are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions since losing to Tottenham in early February, with 13 wins and three draws in that run.

The only team to take a point off them in the league in that time were remarkably, relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, who claimed a 1-1 draw in February courtesy of Chris Wood’s late equaliser.

City have won their other eight league games in that run, earning 25 points out of the last 27 available.

Then they lost to Spurs in February and were unbeaten thereafter, with nine wins and three draws seeing them to the title a point ahead of Liverpool.

“They’ve been in this incredible form but if you look at the table, it shows we have been too.

“It’s going to be a tough night and challenge, but the opportunity is an incredible one for us. We have to go to Man City and we have to beat them. If we want to be champions, we have to win these matches. It’s as simple as that,” Arteta added.

Arteta has confirmed that defender William Saliba will not be fit to face City due to his ongoing back problems which is likely to also rule him out of facing Chelsea at the weekend.

Midfielder Granit Xhaka, who missed the draw with Southampton, is also a doubt but was set to train on Tuesday while Arteta confirmed there were no other injury concerns.

During the 2018/19 season, City won their final 14 games to again beat Liverpool by a point – the Reds themselves won their last nine and were unbeaten in 17 after their ultimately crucial January defeat to City.

The 2017/18 title was won in a procession by Pep Guardiola’s men but City still won five and drew one of their last six games to finish with a record 100 points.

Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final win keeps them in the hunt for a treble, with a derby final against Manchester United to come and a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

The Star

Segun Ojo

Recent Posts

Naira trades N1,645/$ at official market

The naira bounced back after consistent three-day losses and appreciated at the official market on…

15 mins ago

Biden, Trump meet at White House, promise smooth transition

Longtime political rivals, United States President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, on Wednesday, November…

8 hours ago

NSA: We’ll chase out terrorist group Lakurawa out of Nigeria

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has vowed that the new terrorist group, Lakurawa,…

8 hours ago

EFCC arraigns syndicate impersonating Olukoyede for $700,000 fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned two members of an alleged syndicate, Ojobo…

9 hours ago

Minister: National fisheries policy’ll create jobs, boost economy

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, says the National Fisheries and Aquaculture…

12 hours ago

EFCC arrests 11 currency racketeers in Rivers

The operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 11 suspected currency…

12 hours ago

This website uses cookies.