Arsenal’s north London derby journey to Tottenham Hotspur might be performed out towards a backdrop of looking out questions on their nerve – “bottle”, as it’s typically known as – character and even public mockery from their rivals.
Probably the most fundamental query is that this. Are Mikel Arteta’s facet choking amid Arsenal’s best alternative to win the Premier League for the primary time since Arsene Wenger’s “Invincibles” of 2003-04?
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The panorama round this journey to hostile territory has shifted so dramatically within the final fortnight that it has moved from what resembled a stroll within the park to a check of each high quality required to win the title.
Arsenal will go to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – the place Spurs have gained solely two of 13 league video games this time period – with the toxicity brought on by former head coach Thomas Frank’s presence doubtlessly eliminated by his sacking and alternative by Igor Tudor.
Tudor’s appointment is basically designed to keep away from relegation.
His chequered managerial profession has taken in Hajduk Break up, Galatasaray, Udinese, Marseille, Lazio and Juventus.
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For all that, Tudor has specialised in quick begins answerable for golf equipment, a robust character whose arrival delivers an additional ingredient to what was already going to be a super-charged ambiance.
All of it provides as much as a extreme examination of Arsenal simply as they give the impression of being to be creaking underneath the stress of chasing that elusive Premier League crown.
First, there have to be context.
Arsenal stay high of the desk. They completed high of the Champions League standings with eight wins from eight video games. They face Manchester Metropolis within the Carabao Cup last and have an eminently winnable FA Cup fifth spherical tie at League One facet Mansfield City.
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So what’s consuming Arsenal?
Arsenal’s catastrophic concession of a 2-0 lead at relegation certainties Wolves, in addition to the way in which through which that benefit was misplaced, was an instance of stress that has gripped the Gunners on and off the pitch in a run of solely two wins from seven Premier League video games.
As if that collapse at Molineux, concluded amid offended scenes involving gamers from either side, was not sufficient, Wolves’ social media accounts rubbed salt in Arsenal’s wounds by poking enjoyable in a TikTok put up captioned “Recreation Administration”.
Mikel Arteta’s facet have drawn their final two Premier League video games at Wolves and Brentford, although they final misplaced a league recreation on 25 January [PA Media]
In a put up watched by greater than two million, it was geared toward Arsenal’s perceived time-wasting at corners and what was clearly thought to be an over-reaction to accidents.
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There was additionally a picture of Gabriel Martinelli taunting Wolves’ followers with a “2-1” gesture, solely to look daft when Arsenal conceded that late leveller.
Wolves’ time-wasting jibe was adopted by an Opta statistic that Arsenal have taken a league-high complete of 117 minutes to restart video games from corners this season. In addition they have the longest common delay of restart from corners at 44 seconds.
Low blows from Wolves, however blows that will have landed on already frayed nerves.
The chaotic method of Wolves’ 94th-minute equaliser from Tom Edozie – finally entering into off Riccardo Calafiori – summed up Arsenal’s panic-stricken finale as goalkeeper David Raya collided haplessly with defender Gabriel to trigger confusion.
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What was a possibility to use psychological stress by extending their result in seven factors was squandered, leaving Arsenal solely 5 away from Manchester Metropolis having performed one recreation extra.
It was Arsenal’s latest issues in microcosm.
Raya and the Gunners’ defence have slipped from the excessive requirements that gave them a nine-point benefit over Metropolis and Aston Villa on 7 February, albeit that Pep Guardiola’s facet had a recreation in hand.
Arsenal’s destiny nonetheless stays in their very own fingers. The issue is that the identical applies to Metropolis, with the edges scheduled to satisfy at Etihad Stadium on 18 April.
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And that is the place the nerves and the previous play into the present narrative that Arsenal are wobbling, having completed second within the final three campaigns, twice to Metropolis and final season to Liverpool.
Spurs will hope the appointment of Igor Tudor till the tip of the season makes life much more troublesome for Arsenal [PA Media]
On this chase, Manchester Metropolis have type for efficiently looking down league leaders.
Arsenal’s type at this stage of the season is unflattering when in comparison with Metropolis’s. In every of the final 4 campaigns, Metropolis have amassed extra factors than Arsenal within the last 12 video games.
The largest differential was 12 factors in 2021-22, the narrowest one level in 2023-24, when a 2-0 loss at dwelling to Aston Villa on 14 April successfully value Arsenal the title.
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And several other components are actually coming into play as Arsenal have to show they’ll address the stress of ending that barren title run, with Metropolis respiration down their necks.
Since their 4-1 win towards Aston Villa on 30 December, the ring of metal Arsenal assembled in defence has misplaced its energy. They’ve subsequently conceded one league purpose per recreation versus 0.61 earlier than.
Arsenal have additionally appeared to drop right into a extra risk-averse, adverse method when in entrance and seeking to have video games underneath management.
Leads have been misplaced towards Manchester United, Brentford and – most damagingly – Wolves in latest weeks.
Martin Zubimendi has performed an enormous variety of league minutes in his first Premier League marketing campaign. Is it taking its toll? [Getty Images]
Is the worry of dropping, or drawing, turning up the stress valve on gamers who will know this season represents their greatest likelihood of successful the title to such an extent they’re now struggling to shut out victories?
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It’s a extremely pressurised surroundings. This season there aren’t any excuses. It might simply be now or by no means.
Arteta invariably cuts an agitated determine on the sidelines. He not too long ago urged Arsenal’s followers to “leap on the enjoyable boat”, however doesn’t look as if he’s having enjoyable in the meanwhile, though he’s main a crew high of the desk and insists “the current is gorgeous”.
He says he might be “protecting calm, protecting my eyes open, my ears open, and understanding what the gamers want to present their greatest”.
Arteta added: “We now have to dwell the current. What we did up to now is nice, however we’ve got to dwell the current, and the current is gorgeous.
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“We’re precisely the place we need to be in each competitors. We have to earn it, like we have achieved within the final seven or eight months.”
Attending to this place, and it’s a wholesome one, is one other issue within the equation. Are the bodily calls for beginning to take their toll on gamers?
Martin Zubimendi, excellent since his summer season transfer from Actual Sociedad, is one such instance.
He has seen extra Premier League motion than some other Arsenal outfield participant, figuring in all 27 video games with 26 begins, taking part in 2,270 minutes in his first season within the English high flight.
Eberechi Eze has virtually been a bystander compared, regardless of the fanfare that greeted his £60m arrival from Crystal Palace in August, stolen away from Spurs on the eleventh hour.
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Since scoring a hat-trick within the 4-1 win towards Spurs in November, Eze has featured in all 15 of Arsenal’s league video games however has made solely 4 begins and performed 360 minutes.
The broader questions, nevertheless, encompass Arsenal’s temperament to resist the stress that’s instantly closing in on them, an ominous reminder of earlier failings.
Arsenal are nonetheless in an outstanding place in each competitors – positions they might have immediately signed up for in August. And their trigger may very well be helped the return of key duo Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.
If the Gunners win at Spurs, doubts might be eased, however one factor is past query.
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This north London derby is now a totally completely different proposition from a fortnight in the past.