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EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal get two worrying reasons Man City would win Premier League title – ‘Hanging on’
EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal and Manchester City are caught up in a two-horse race for this season's Premier League title, and one former Gunner has given the club two reasons they may miss out
View 2 ImagesMikel Arteta will hope to guide the Gunners to their first league trophy in more than two decades next month, and is in a considerably good position to do so at present. Arsenal currently sit atop the Premier League standings three points ahead of the Cityzens, as they head into their final four matches of the season.
However, considering the club held a seven-point lead over their domestic rivals last month, prior to losses at the hands of Bournemouth and the Sky Blues themselves, there is an argument that the Gunners have suffered a dip in form as of recent.
When compounded with the fact that City are unbeaten in the Premier League since their 2-0 loss to Manchester United in January – a time frame in which Arsenal have lost three domestic encounters – Pep Guardiola certainly has an advantage.
And Upson, speaking exclusively to football.london via SeatPick, a leading aggregator for reliable sports & music tickets online, warned that the outcome of the title race could hinge on who is fresher headed down the home stretch.
When asked about Arsenal's recent dip in form, he said: "It's probably a couple of things for me. I think it's Arsenal putting a monumental effort into the first six months of the season, going down a very specific pathway about how they're going to achieve winning football matches and executing it pretty well, to the point where everyone's looking at and thinking, like you said, 'It looks like they could well do it this season.'
“And I think, you know, the downturn in form that Manchester City had last season, the way they've kind of rebuilt and they've slowly got stronger and stronger, fresh players coming in in January, which were huge in terms of their impact with [Marc] Guehi and [Antoine] Semenyo, and City just appear to be in a fresher condition mentally, physically.
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"Where they're at in their journey as a team, and Arsenal seem to be just in that, you know, dipping for the line, hanging on. Can we get it over the line? So they're two very different places where both groups of players are at, really.
"And I suppose Pep as well, in terms of he's rebuilt that team, hasn't he? So he's now seeing the best of this group of players he's put together over the last 18 months. So it's interesting to see who's going to hold out, whether or not Arsenal can hold it out, or whether City will come strong.
“It's almost like, you know, when you watch like a race in the Velodrome with cyclists, and you see the one in the slipstream behind, you think, 'oh, the guy in the front's won this.' And then the moment they get around the bend and, you know, the forces come in, and he just pips him. It kind of reminds me of that a little bit in these last four games."
View 2 ImagesWhile City have a vital game in hand on Arsenal to play on Arsenal next month, their fixture list looks increasingly congested compared to the Gunners.
As a result of rescheduling due to the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, the Sky Blues will have to play three matches over the space of seven days – as well as two long trips on the road within four days.
After their Premier League matches with Everton and Brentford on Monday, May 4 and Saturday, May 9, respectively, City play against Crystal Palace in a rearranged match on Wednesday, May 13. The club then head to Wembley to face Chelsea in the final of the FA Cup come Saturday, May 16.
A trip to the south coast to take on Bournemouth in the Premier League then ensues on Tuesday, May 19, before the Sky Blues play their seasonal finale with Aston Villa on Sunday, May 24.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have the following schedule of fixtures to look forward to.
- Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal – Wednesday, April 29
- Arsenal vs Fulham – Saturday, May 2
- Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid – Tuesday, May 5
- West Ham vs Arsenal – Sunday, May 10
- Arsenal vs Burnley – Monday, May 18
- Arsenal vs Crystal Palace – Sunday, May 24
- Arsenal/Atletico Madrid vs PSG/Bayern Munich – Saturday, May 30*
* – Dependent on who reaches the Champions League final
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