Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City’s chances at Premier League title،
Hollywood could struggle to match what appears to be an edge-of-your-seat finish in the Premier League title race this season, with top three Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City separated by a single point with 10 games remaining. We wait to see what's on the final reel with some relish.
Conventional wisdom says that City, with the experience of having been champions five times in the last six years, will start from third place to come out on top in the race. is it really that simple? Injuries to John Stones and Kyle Walker on England duty are a concern for City, while Liverpool fans will fear that Andy Robertson limped off during Scotland's match against Northern Ireland.
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The drama resumes on Sunday when Arsenal travel to the Etihad, where City are unbeaten all season – although they have been held to draws by Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. This looks like the litmus test for Arsenal's challenge. This time last year they led the table by eight points, but have dropped 15 points in the last 10 games, including a 4-1 defeat at City. In plain English, most observers thought they had “bottled” it.
The question now: is this version a tougher, mentally tougher Arsenal with defender William Saliba – seriously injured during run-in last season – fit and Declan Rice making a big difference in midfield?
The Gunners have made it eight successive victories, scoring 33 goals and conceding just four, all while exploding the theory that they could not sustain their challenge without a proper number 9.
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Others who have shouldered the scoring load include Kai Havertz (four of his last four), Bukayo Saka (seven of seven) and Rice (three of five). Saka missed the two recent friendlies with England, but it would be a shock if he is not fit for the crucial game against City. Gabriel Martinelli is likely also in the running as of this writing.
Arsenal have won their last three away games 6-0, 5-0 and 6-0, but City will of course be a different proposition. How bold will Gunners manager Mikel Arteta be against his former mentor Pep Guardiola? He knows a draw keeps Arsenal's one-point lead over City intact. Or will he watch how Liverpool's intensity and adventure recently broke City's normal rhythm at Anfield and take on the champions? The neutrals hope so.
The Gunners' defense is statistically the best in the Premier League (lowest in the league with 24 goals conceded), and remember they blanked City in a 1-0 win at the Emirates earlier in the season, even if the winner came via a bad late game. DETOUR. For all this, City have an air of invincibility and always find a way to goal at home, and Arteta's side will need to produce a perfect display to stop them.
This is a crucial match and Liverpool could hope for a draw, allowing them to return to the top with a home win against an erratic Brighton at Anfield on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp's men don't often make mistakes at home and a few of their injured stars will be fit again over the next fortnight. Players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konaté and Darwin Núñez are not far away – although Sunday might come a little early for some and goalkeeper Alisson might not return until mid-April.
Liverpool's chances of giving Klopp a farewell Premier League title are surely boosted by the fact that their European campaign is far less intense than that of their two rivals. Remember, Arsenal are due to face Bayern Munich and Manchester City to meet Real Madrid in two huge Champions League quarter-finals, and those matches will be far more of a distraction than Liverpool's Europa League mission against Atalanta, when Klopp will probably be able to rotate his team.
Indeed, there is the possibility of a Champions League semi-final between City and Arsenal. How Liverpool would love that! Dealing with the emotional and physical demands of these vital final weeks will likely decide which of these three excellent teams ends up wearing the crown.
In the past, City have shown they can compete successfully on multiple fronts. In both legs of their semi-final victory over Real Madrid last season, they beat Leeds 2-0, Everton 3-0 and Chelsea 1-0 en route to a third consecutive league title. This time they also have to play in an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley.
Looking at the fixtures down the stretch, Arsenal probably have the toughest life with four teams in the top six to play – trips to City, Manchester United and a north London derby at Spurs plus a home game against Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are due to travel to Old Trafford – scene of their recent dramatic 4-3 FA Cup exit. United, desperate for points, would love to hammer another nail into the hopes of their biggest rivals and Klopp doesn't often win at the Theater of Dreams. Spurs at home and Villa away in the last three matches also look important tests for Liverpool, as does a Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison. The derby match comes amid a run of three away matches in seven days, which also includes trips to Fulham and West Ham. Not easy.
City's next two games – Arsenal and Villa at home – are two of their toughest games, and they still have to play a catch-up game against Tottenham, where they had failed to score or win in five visits until 'to a 1-0 FA Cup victory. there earlier this season. History tells us that there is little room for error on anyone's part.
This could easily come down to the final moments of the last day. Memories here of Arsenal's Michael Thomas snatching the title from Liverpool's hands with almost the last kick at Anfield in 1989, from Blackburn's agony to ecstasy as they lost in the last minute at Liverpool then learned that they had won the title again in 1995, and the two famous Manchester City comeback wins against Queens Park Rangers in 2012 (the Sergio Aguero moment) and Aston Villa in 2022, when they scored three times in the last 14 minutes to win 3-2 and take the championship.
This league invariably lights up our weekend and deserves a photo finish, even if it will tear the nerves of the fans. Everything seems too tight to keep up. Ninety points will definitely win it. Maybe even 87.
My only hunch is that Arsenal are for real this season and won't be abandoned again, although that theory could go up in smoke as early as Sunday at City. How Arsenal cope with this harsh examination of their qualifications will be telling, especially as they failed so miserably a year ago.
