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With Chelsea down to 10 men after losing their star midfielder Moises Caicedo, Arsenal should have put them to the sword. However, the Blues unexpectedly took the lead. The Gunners managed to equalize through Mikel Merino, but given the circumstances, they should have taken all three points.
It was thought that it was Arsenal's title to lose this season. The defending champions, Liverpool, have been on a surprisingly bad run of form. However, Manchester City and Chelsea are lurking just behind Arsenal, and both are contenders for the Premier League. Even Aston Villa has the same amount of points as the Blues, but is not expected to challenge for the title.
In order to win the Premier League, teams need to show up on the big occasions. Arsenal, this season, has so far not done this. They lost to Liverpool in Matchday 3, and then could only draw with Manchester City. Now the Gunners failed to beat Chelsea, despite the Blues having their star defensive midfielder sent off.
It is usually considered that you should wait until after 10 games to start judging a league table properly. We are now 13 matches into the season, and the Gunners have just a five-point lead in the Premier League. There are sure to be many twists and turns in the title race this campaign.
What did Mikel Merino write on social media?
Merino has performed well in central midfield this season and is now filling in nicely as a makeshift center-forward. His leadership skills have also been on show as he captained the team for their EFL Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier in the campaign.
The Spain international is usually ecstatic about Arsenal's performances on social media. However, following the Chelsea match, Merino posted on Instagram, "Take the point and make it good on Wednesday. Crazy week for the team. COYG."
The cliched phrase 'respect the point' is more commonly used for teams in a relegation battle. Therefore, it is interesting that Merino has worded this for his club, which is challenging for the title. However, we must take this post with a pinch of salt, as many of the top players have their own social media managers who write their captions.
It was disappointing that Arsenal could only draw with Chelsea yesterday. Although if they do win the title this season, Merino's equalizer might be seen as a key point in a victorious season. The Gunners face Brentford on Wednesday, and they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to win the division.