Certain pundits have got slightly carried away with the narrative of Arsenal buckling under the pressure of leading the Premier League, especially after Manchester City “sent a message” with their dominant 3-0 win against Liverpool on Sunday.
Arsenal will supposedly be feeling “nervous” after Man City punished their rivals for claiming a respectable 2-2 draw at high-flying Sunderland, hammering Liverpool to close to within four points of the table-toppers after 11 matches.
These two teams have been in this position before, but are currently at very different points with their progression: Arsenal have arguably reached their final form with a near-complete squad, while this imperfect Man City side is far from unbeatable as they have become Erling Haaland FC.
Arsenal have also demonstrated on multiple occasions this season that they can remain strong in moments of adversity and seal important points. They are a level above the rest in the Premier League and will likely extend their unbeaten run after the international break en route to finally winning the title.
But there’s no fun in that. So, assuming that there is a cock-up in one or more of Arsenal’s six Premier League games before Christmas as Man City pile on the pressure, who are they most likely to slip up against? Well, here’s the answer to that question…
The worst team in the Premier League at home? This should be easy pickings for Arsenal…
It is worth noting that the Gunners have won their last eight matches against Wolves, who have also only scored two goals against the north London side during this stretch.
There are small factors against Arsenal, including the possibility of a new manager bounce for Wolves with Rob Edwards and this game coming at the end of a busy three-game week, but they should have far too much for the bottom-placed side in the division.
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Now things start to get somewhat interesting…
Last season this game ended 1-1, though their meeting in April came at a time when Arsenal had all but conceded the Premier League title to Liverpool.
Still, Brentford do represent a stern test for Arsenal, even away from home. The Bees really deserve immense credit for their lack of decline, despite the exits of Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. New head coach Keith Andrews has rightly prioritised his team’s strengths, thus ensuring they will be completely fine for another season.
Brentford certainly have the ability in their squad to cause Arsenal problems and score a goal, but the Gunners are better equipped than most to deal with their opponents’ physicality and should escape from this one unscathed.
The talk is that the Gunners could suffer an international break-enforced hangover from the draw against Sunderland, with Arteta’s side not being allowed to immediately bounce back.
But those naysayers must be forgetting that their first task after the international break is a meeting with Dr Tottenham, so they should be just fine…
Seriously though, Spurs are at least far stronger away than at home; they have the same number of points on the road as Arsenal and are also unbeaten. They have not had an easy ride, either, as they have already travelled to Man City and Brighton, with their other matches being against Everton, West Ham and Leeds.
Spurs are also far more defensively solid under Frank than during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure, but they are weaker in attack and could struggle to find a way through their opponents’ resolute backline. This stinks of a 1-0 to the Arsenal via a set-piece goal.
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Arsenal are not exactly poor away from home, but you feel that they are more likely to drop points on the road than at the Emirates after doing so against Sunderland and Liverpool in their opening 11 games.
First, we have Everton, who delayed the David Moyes sack conversation by earning a much-needed win against Fulham at the weekend. This was their third home victory of the season in the league at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
It has been impressive how the Toffees have quickly transferred their home from their beloved former stadium to their new ground, with this game certainly a banana skin after Arsenal failed to beat David Moyes’ side in their two meetings last season.
The latest London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea is at the end of a really difficult week for the Gunners, who also face Spurs and Bayern Munich in a matter of days after the international break.
Arsenal have dominated this fixture in recent years, having not lost to Chelsea in their previous eight meetings, but the Blues are creeping up as the third most likely winner of the Premier League this season following recent wins over Liverpool and Spurs.
It’s been difficult to go all in on Chelsea due to their game-to-game inconsistency, but they are certainly capable of matching Arsenal in a single match if they perform to their maximum. Will they be here? Probably not…
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Arsenal supporters are likely already dreading next month’s matches against Aston Villa, with the away game at the start of the month coming before the reverse fixture at the Emirates on December 30.
This does at least mean that the Gunners will get these two difficult games out of the way quickly. But Aston Villa have hit form at the wrong time from Arsenal’s perspective, with Unai Emery’s side shooting up the table by earning statement wins over Bournemouth, Man City and Tottenham.
This has re-established the Villans as a serious contender for Champions League qualification after they looked toothless in attack and generally leggy in the first few weeks of this season. Now, Arsenal would surely accept a draw from their first clash with Villa in December if it were offered to them now…