Arsenal‘s north London derby trip to Tottenham Hotspur will be played out against a backdrop of searching questions about their nerve – “bottle”, as it is often called – character and even public mockery from their rivals.
The most basic question is this. Are Mikel Arteta’s side choking amid Arsenal‘s greatest opportunity to win the Premier League for the first time since Arsene Wenger’s “Invincibles” of 2003-04?
The landscape around this trip to hostile territory has shifted so dramatically in the last fortnight that it has moved from what resembled a walk in the park to a test of every quality required to win the title.
Arsenal will go to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – where Spurs have won only two of 13 league games this term – with the toxicity caused by former head coach Thomas Frank’s presence potentially removed by his sacking and replacement by Igor Tudor.
Tudor’s appointment is essentially designed to avoid relegation.
His chequered managerial career has taken in Hajduk Split, Galatasaray, Udinese, Marseille, Lazio and Juventus.
For all that, Tudor has specialised in fast starts in charge of clubs, a powerful personality whose arrival delivers an extra ingredient to what was already going to be a super-charged atmosphere.
It all adds up to a severe examination of Arsenal just as they look to be creaking under the pressure of chasing that elusive Premier League crown.
First, there must be context.
Arsenal remain top of the table. They finished top of the Champions League standings with eight wins from eight games. They face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and have an eminently winnable FA Cup fifth round tie at League One side Mansfield Town.
So what is eating Arsenal?
Arsenal‘s catastrophic concession of a 2-0 lead at relegation certainties Wolves, as well as the way in which that advantage was lost, was an example of tension that has gripped the Gunners on and off the pitch in a run of only two wins from seven Premier League games.
As if that collapse at Molineux, concluded amid angry scenes involving players from both sides, was not enough, Wolves‘ social media accounts rubbed salt in Arsenal‘s wounds by poking fun in a TikTok post captioned “Game Management”.
Mikel Arteta’s side have drawn their last two Premier League games at Wolves and Brentford, though they last lost a league game on 25 January
In a post watched by more than two million, it was aimed at Arsenal‘s perceived time-wasting at corners and what was clearly regarded as an over-reaction to injuries.
There was also an image of Gabriel Martinelli taunting Wolves‘ fans with a “2-1” gesture, only to look daft when Arsenal conceded that late leveller.
Wolves‘ time-wasting jibe was followed by an Opta statistic that Arsenal have taken a league-high total of 117 minutes to restart games from corners this season. They also have the longest average delay of restart from corners at 44 seconds.
Low blows from Wolves, but blows that may have landed on already frayed nerves.
The chaotic manner of Wolves‘ 94th-minute equaliser from Tom Edozie – eventually going in off Riccardo Calafiori – summed up Arsenal‘s panic-stricken finale as goalkeeper David Raya collided haplessly with defender Gabriel to cause confusion.
What was an opportunity to apply psychological pressure by extending their lead to seven points was squandered, leaving Arsenal only five clear of Manchester City having played one game more.
It was Arsenal‘s recent problems in microcosm.
Raya and the Gunners’ defence have slipped from the high standards that gave them a nine-point advantage over City and Aston Villa on 7 February, albeit that Pep Guardiola’s side had a game in hand.
Arsenal‘s fate still remains in their own hands. The problem is that the same applies to City, with the sides scheduled to meet at Etihad Stadium on 18 April.
And this is where the nerves and the past play into the current narrative that Arsenal are wobbling, having finished second in the last three campaigns, twice to City and last season to Liverpool.
Spurs will hope the appointment of Igor Tudor until the end of the season makes life even more difficult for Arsenal
In this chase, Manchester City have form for successfully hunting down league leaders.
Arsenal‘s form at this stage of the season is unflattering when compared to City’s. In each of the last four campaigns, City have amassed more points than Arsenal in the final 12 games.
The biggest differential was 12 points in 2021-22, the narrowest one point in 2023-24, when a 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa on 14 April effectively cost Arsenal the title.
And several factors are now coming into play as Arsenal need to prove they can cope with the pressure of ending that barren title run, with City breathing down their necks.
Since their 4-1 win against Aston Villa on 30 December, the ring of steel Arsenal assembled in defence has lost its strength. They have subsequently conceded one league goal per game as opposed to 0.61 before.
Arsenal have also appeared to drop into a more risk-averse, negative approach when in front and looking to have games under control.
Leads have been lost against Manchester United, Brentford and – most damagingly – Wolves in recent weeks.
Martin Zubimendi has played a huge number of league minutes in his first Premier League campaign. Is it taking its toll?
Is the fear of losing, or drawing, turning up the pressure valve on players who will know this season represents their best chance of winning the title to such an extent they are now struggling to close out victories?
It is a highly pressurised environment. This season there are no excuses. It may just be now or never.
Arteta invariably cuts an agitated figure on the sidelines. He recently urged Arsenal‘s fans to “jump on the fun boat”, but does not look as if he is having fun at the moment, even though he is leading a team top of the table and insists “the present is beautiful”.
He says he will be “keeping calm, keeping my eyes open, my ears open, and understanding what the players need to give their best”.
Arteta added: “We have to live the present. What we did in the past is great, but we have to live the present, and the present is beautiful.
“We are exactly where we want to be in every competition. We need to earn it, like we’ve done in the last seven or eight months.”
Getting to this position, and it is a healthy one, is another factor in the equation. Are the physical demands starting to take their toll on players?
Martin Zubimendi, outstanding since his summer move from Real Sociedad, is one such example.
He has seen more Premier League action than any other Arsenal outfield player, figuring in all 27 games with 26 starts, playing 2,270 minutes in his first season in the English top flight.
Eberechi Eze has almost been a bystander in comparison, despite the fanfare that greeted his £60m arrival from Crystal Palace in August, stolen away from Spurs at the 11th hour.
Since scoring a hat-trick in the 4-1 win against Spurs in November, Eze has featured in all 15 of Arsenal‘s league games but has made only four starts and played 360 minutes.
The wider questions, however, surround Arsenal‘s temperament to withstand the pressure that is suddenly closing in on them, an ominous reminder of previous failings.
Arsenal are still in a superb position in every competition – positions they would have instantly signed up for in August. And their cause could be helped the return of key duo Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.
If the Gunners win at Spurs, doubts will be eased, but one thing is beyond question.
This north London derby is now a completely different proposition from a fortnight ago.
*BBC*
