Will Arsenal collapse again? Or can they recover?
LONDON — When Arsenal ran out of stream in the second half against Aston Villa on Sunday you knew what was coming. There was tension in the air amongst the home fans. They were quiet. Agitated. Frustrated.
Surely it won't happen again this season. Right? Right!? Tell me it won't.
After their shock 2-0 home defeat to Villa we have an idea about what comes next. But it doesn't have to be that way. With six league games to go, and a Champions League quarterfinal second leg, there is still time to right the ship. But, as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said poignantly, the time is now.
Arsenal have been here before. The start of a collapse. Last season they capitulated in April and their title dreams were in ruins after a dreadful run of two wins from their final seven games.
But this home loss to Villa has their title hopes teetering on the brink. Opta says that Arsenal now have an 18 percent chance to win the title. Manchester City’s odds have increased to 70 percent. Liverpool are at 12 percent.
After Liverpool's shock loss at home to Crystal Palace earlier on Sunday there were huge cheers around the concourses at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal fans rejoiced and felt like they were about to knock another team out of the title race. But they followed Liverpool's lead. Now they're the ones trying to hang on as Man City hit the accelerator.
Negative vibes building
Now it’s all about the response. Can they prove they’ve learned from last season? Do they have a different mentality to turn things around?
All is not lost but the feeling at full time felt eerily familiar to watching Arsenal collapse at the end of last season. Hands on hips. Looking at the pitch. Fans streaming out of the stadium silently.
Walking the streets of north London after the game, fans having a pint in the street chatted about how many points Man City have and what Arsenal need to do. There was some questionable math being thrown around.
"I give up," one disgruntled Arsenal fan said as he did the sums. Another neutral bystander chimed in as he walked past a pub full of Arsenal fans: "Man City are winning it." The response from Arsenal's fans? A resigned: "Thanks for that, mate."
Given recent results (drawing against Bayern and losing to a very good Aston Villa side) there is a negative atmosphere building at Arsenal but it can be nipped in the bud very quickly.
They face Bayern Munich on Wednesday in their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg and can easily win it. They then head to Wolves on Saturday and play twice before Man City next play again in the Premier League. Liverpool are struggling. All is not lost. They could be back to the top of the league very soon.
This is when Arsenal can prove that this season is different. That they've learned from last season. Remember: they've already done it once this season.
They have shown an almighty response already this season
Their run of three defeats in five at the end of 2023 saw everyone doubting Arsenal. They then won 10 of the next 11 and were unbeaten in that run until Villa turned up and ruined their momentum.
Even if Arsenal were sluggish in the second half against Villa, perhaps understandably after their exploits against Bayern in midweek, they were sensational in the first half and could have been up by three or four. Let's not forget that.
Arteta said it best: "The time is now."
Now is when we learn if Arsenal's young squad have learned — like they've been saying they have all season — from their heart-wrenching title collapse last season.
There is extra composure this season. They have extra depth. There is more confidence. But is it enough? Even if it isn't, Arsenal still look like they will push Manchester City all the way for the title and even if they come up short, that's still an improvement on last season.
All is not lost. But how Arsenal respond over the next two games to this damaging defeat is going to tell us everything we need to know about how they will finish the season.
Crunch time has arrived for Arsenal in April. Again.
