Man City draw proves that Arsenal are ready to win the Premier League

The ‘Blue Moon’ has long since risen over English football, but its resultant ‘high tide’ could soon sweep Arsenal along to their 14th top-flight title.

Potential for that shift became evident on Sunday when the Gunners met Manchester City head-on and served up a true classic, one that few had anticipated before kick-off and saw the ‘challengers’ denied a famous win right at the death.

Of course, our competitive edge on Sunday was not without precedent: Arsenal also earned a point at the Etihad last term and even beat the champions in north London 11 months ago, while these two have slugged it out for titles in each of the last two campaigns.  

But things have still changed utterly. Unlike past matches, this one proved how the visitors CAN take the game to their opponent, they ARE good enough to play City on their own terms and they possess the nastiness – or ‘dark arts’ – that all prospective champions need to survive the trials of a title race (something rival teams do not seem to appreciate…).

The tide is turning - Arsenal are reaching Man City's level and have proven their title credentials

Further ‘proof’ of our readiness can be found in the changeable dynamic of our game last weekend. At first, it seemed as though Arsenal would get overwhelmed by City; Guardiola’s side grabbed an early goal (after some lacklustre defending) and hit the post via a free kick, all while dominating in the possession stats.

Other days might have seen us buckle – the 4-1 drubbing here in April 2023 being a clear example of that sort of collapse – but, instead, the trying circumstances brought out the best in us, with Mikel Arteta’s men settling down, clawing themselves back into the game and even taking the lead before half time. What might have been if it had remained 11 v 11.  

For perhaps the first time, it felt like we were City’s equal and not just a ‘best-of-the-rest’ challenger with an inferiority complex. Now, we are unbeaten in our last four matches against them and have shown the quality to compete, regardless of whether it is home or away, an attacking or defensive approach, and despite a numerical disadvantage.  

The Etihad draw follows on from a tough start to the campaign, yet one that Arsenal have emerged from unscathed and unbeaten. Recent efforts suggest this team has now evolved into the hard-nosed, adaptable, well-tuned and world-class team that Arteta sought to build when he first arrived in 2019 and, when so many boxes are being ticked, success cannot be too far away.  

Trust in the process is bearing fruit.

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