The Premier League title race appears to have taken an unequivocal turn, with Arsenal’s stuttering campaign seeming to lose its footing. A stark contrast was seen over the weekend when Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat to West Ham as Liverpool triumphed over Manchester City with a 2-0 victory. This has expanded the gap to an intimidating 11 points, a lead that seems insurmountable even considering Arsenal’s game in hand.
Arsenal’s manager, Arteta, didn’t mask his rage post the disheartening loss, confessing that his team was far from the high performance levels required to secure a Premier League win. But this has been a recurring narrative. Despite this marking only the third league defeat for Arsenal this season, their performance has lacked the spark one would expect from a title contender. They’ve squandered too many valuable points and failed to capitalize on opportunities, with a distinct lack of discipline often being their downfall.
The team’s disciplinary issues were once again on display with Myles Lewis-Skelly’s dismissal marking the fifth red card Arsenal has received this season. This is not so much an indictment of biased refereeing as it is a reflection of the team’s players committing unnecessary fouls. The best defense against a second yellow card for kicking the ball away is to prevent the first yellow card from happening and, of course, to refrain from kicking the ball away. This lack of discipline cost Arsenal dearly in their matches against Brighton and Manchester City, where victories turned into draws.
Further highlighting Arsenal’s disciplinary woes, William Saliba was sent off during their 2-0 loss at Bournemouth. Lewis-Skelly’s red card at Wolves was overturned, albeit generously considering he was quite far from the ball when he kicked Matt Doherty. But his dismissal on Saturday for denying a goalscoring opportunity with a rough tackle on Mohammed Kudus cost Arsenal dearly. These disciplinary issues have resulted in the loss of 10 crucial points in games where Arsenal was reduced to 10 men.
However, it’s not all self-inflicted. The team has been dealt a bad hand with injuries, losing key players like Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus simultaneously. The team’s decision to strengthen their midfield and backline last summer at the expense of bringing in a striker is now being questioned, especially given Raheem Sterling’s unimpressive performance since his loan signing.
Another glaring issue is Arsenal’s inability to cope with adversity. They seem to falter easily, losing faith quicker than they should. The team’s morale took a hit when their gifted captain, Martin Odegaard, sustained an injury earlier in the season. This sense of resignation in the face of setbacks has been a recurring theme this season, evident in their defeat at Bournemouth and the drawn matches against Everton, Aston Villa, Fulham, and Brighton.
Arsenal lacks the gritty determination to get the job done in unfavorable situations, a quality that champions possess and one that Liverpool has demonstrated time and again. Liverpool may not have delivered many commanding performances this season, but they have mastered the art of doing just enough to secure a win. It helps to have the league’s best attacking player, Mohamed Salah, and the best defensive player, Virgil van Dijk, on their roster.
The statistics from Sunday’s match may show that Liverpool only had 34% possession and eight chances compared to City’s 16, but from the moment Salah scored from a well-worked corner after 14 minutes, a win for Liverpool seemed inevitable. This marked their seventh 2-0 league win of the season, a testament to their ability to win comfortably without stretching themselves.
Even if Arsenal manages to win all their remaining Premier League matches – a focus that will likely shift to the Champions League now – they can only reach a maximum of 89 points. This means Liverpool only needs 26 points from their final 11 games to secure the title. Realistically, they won’t even need that many and are expected to have their 20th championship wrapped up well before their match against Arsenal in May.
This article also highlighted the interesting story of William Garbutt, a pioneer of football born in Hazel Grove near Stockport in 1883. He played for Reading, Woolwich Arsenal, and Blackburn Rovers before moving to Genoa to work in the docks at the age of 29. He soon became the first manager of Italian football, leading the team to the northern championship in 1913. His story mirrors those of many British men from the early 20th-century who ventured to Europe with good intentions, only to be overwhelmed by politics and history. When war was declared, Garbutt was sent to the front in France.