Since losing to City, Arsenal have won five consecutive league games to stay in first place in the Premier League
The five-point gap opened up when City drew with Forest immediately after their victory at the Emirates. Far from capitulating after defeat to their rivals, Arsenal have found themselves again.
This is an interesting point at which to assess the title race because City don’t have another league game until April. By the time they play Liverpool on April 1st, Arsenal could be eight points ahead of them.
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Considering Arsenal have Leeds at home on the same weekend, an eleven point gap could open up if they win and City lose.
This is a title race between a team that’s never done it before and a team that’s done it routinely. This is the kind of energy Pep Guardiola tried to evoke after City’s tight 1 – 0 win over Crystal Palace.
The Manchester City manager praised his team for remaining calm against a defensive team. This was certainly a deliberate contrast with Arsenal, who’ve needed a couple of dramatic injury time goals to win games.
Guardiola even said he’s not worried about a potential points gap building up while they play in the cups.
“At the end of the season, everyone is going to play the same games so you have to win your games and that is all,” he told Sky Sports. “We cannot control anything else. We play the FA Cup, they can play but it does not matter.”
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His talk of calm professionalism is a far cry from some weeks ago when he criticized City’s lack of intensity compared to Arsenal’s ‘fire’. The attempt to motivate his team didn’t work, Arsenal are the ones with the emotional momentum.
His team, for better or worse, are the ones who march solemnly towards the title. Will the Champions League and F.A Cup halt their trajectory, or will they get what they want in the end?
