Arsenal mounted their first genuine title challenge since the 2015/16 season last term, pushing eventual champions Manchester City before succumbing and finishing second. Observers wondered whether the emotional wounds of that near-miss would tell this season, but Mikel Arteta’s side have the early look of potential champions again. Their season so far also has something the previous campaign could never boast; a win over Manchester City.
For all the talk of Arsenal taking City to the wire last term, the pair marketed as rivals for the crown, on the pitch the affair was more one-sided. In the league, Pep Guardiola bested his former assistant’s men 3-1 and 4-1 in league action. These twin-defeats were actually a large part of the perennial champions re-taking their throne from the London upstarts. A polite thanking of the Gunners for keeping it warm before the Cityzens took back the seat they always occupy come May.
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Arsenal currently sit above City again, second to the treble winners’ third. While no Gunner will take pleasure in Tottenham Hotspur being first in the table, it is still an encouraging start. Six wins and two draws while their title rivals already have two defeats on the board is encouraging. The fact Arteta was the architect of one of those is what separates this season from the last.
It was the sort of win you’d want at this stage too. While it would have been more fun on the day, battering City would have bred overconfidence. A heavy defeat would have galvanised City into a raging comeback while Arsenal could have grown complacent. Instead, Arsenal had to battlefor what they got. Gabriel Martinelli’s 86th minute winner was a thrilling and pivotal moment, one that the team can rally behind. A hard-fought win for a team that knows they have to fight hard for this title.
Arsenal must now work to give their season more facets it lacked last term. Chief among them is gifting their campaign a more consistent second half. The Gunners ruled the roost for the first half of last season. They lost just one game and drew two going into February, winning the other 16 matches. Then from February onwards they lost five and drew five of their remaining games.
Arteta knows his team cannot afford such a steep drop-off this time. But arguably the circumstances are more difficult this season. While last term the Gunners were playing Europa League football, now they play in the Champions League. The former competition is one where fans are accustomed to rotation. They are forgiving when understrength line-ups are fielded. But the Champions League is the biggest of competitions, meaning supporters expect full-strength elevens. Arsenal’s squad is going to be tested like never before.
But the victory over City shows Arsenal are capable of passing tests they previously couldn’t. It will be a long, hard road. But after coming so close last season, it feels like Arteta and his team have learned some lessons. The experience of missing out on the title could have broken Arsenal. Instead, it may well prove to be the making of them.
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