League-leaders Arsenal have already ticked off many of their toughest Premier League away games, but there are a few more still to go. The Gunners have already left Old Trafford and St James' Park victorious, also getting trips to Anfield, Stamford Bridge, Villa Park and others out of the way.
Arsenal's remaining Premier League away fixtures
Opponent | Date | Current league position |
|---|---|---|
Brentford | 12 February | 7th |
Wolves | 18 February | 20th |
Tottenham Hotspur | 22 February | 16th |
Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 March | 14th |
Manchester City | 18/19 April | 2nd |
West Ham United | 9/10 May | 18th |
Crystal Palace | 24 May | 13th |
Of course, the visit to the Etihad in mid-April looms large but, that aside, Thursday's night's trip to Brentford is, on paper, Arsenal's toughest remaining fixture on the road. The Bees come into this one having won six of their last nine, enjoying back-to-back away wins at Aston Villa and Newcastle.
The Gunners have won each of their last four at the Gtech, but Keith Andrews' side will certainly be no pushovers. If Mikel Arteta's team are going to depart West London victorious, they'll need to overcome a concerning recent trend.
Can Arsenal handle the pressure of the title race?
Since Arsenal's convincing 3-0 victory over Sunderland, title rivals Manchester City have won twice, thereby closing the gap at the top to just three points. Pep Guardiola's team left it late to beat Liverpool on Merseyside at the weekend, before demolishing Fulham 3-0 on Wednesday.
The Gunners therefore go second of the two in this mid-week round of fixtures, which is something they've not handled well recently.
Arsenal's results when playing before or after Manchester City
Opponent | Result | Player before or after Man City? |
|---|---|---|
Sunderland | 3-0 win | Before |
Leeds United | 4-0 win | Before |
Manchester United | 2-3 loss | After |
Nottingham Forest | 0-0 draw | After |
Liverpool | 0-0 draw | After |
Bournemouth | 3-2 win | Before |
Aston Villa | 4-1 win | Before |
Brighton | 2-1 win | After |
Everton | 1-0 win | After |
Wolves | 2-1 win | Before |
Each of Arsenal's last four Premier League victories have come when playing first of the two title contenders. The last time Arteta's team were able to collect all three points when playing second was two days after Christmas, seeing Man City win late at Nottingham Forest in the early kick off, before also being able to beat Brighton by the same 2-1 scoreline.
Concurrently, when the Gunners dropped points in three successive matches, held to goalless draw by Liverpool and Forest, before defeat at the hands of Man United, they were in action second. This is a concerning trend, given that Arsenal need to respond to the Citizens' victory in West London, while they also go second in upcoming matches against Tottenham and Chelsea.
Does playing first or second make a material difference? Well, it would appear so. Being able to go first and pile the pressure onto your rivals with a victory is an obvious psychological advantage. Around 60% of penalty shootouts are won by the team kicking first, and a similar principle is applicable in this scenario, too.
Gooners everywhere are scarred before previous title races against Man City that have ultimately ended in heartbreak, so the mental battle, as well as that with opponents on the pitch, is where this latest race will be won and lost.
