Arsenal stumbles: Another setback in the Premier League?

Arsenal Stumbles: Is History Repeating Itself Again?

Arsenal’s fight for the Premier League title suffered another setback on Saturday, leaving many fans wondering: “Is this happening again?” A 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth represented a significant lifeline for Manchester City in the race for the 2025-26 season title. Mikel Arteta’s team failed to shine at the Emirates, while Pep Guardiola’s team managed a 3-0 victory over Chelsea 24 hours later.

• How Premier League clubs seek US funds for transfers
• What players really think when a new coach arrives mid-season
• The best and worst Premier League players in different skills

The Arsenal, who have led the table since September, have shown signs of instability at a crucial moment in the season. First, they lost the Carabao Cup final to City before being surprised in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Championship side Southampton. On Sunday evening, Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League had been reduced to six points, with City (who have a game in hand) breathing down their necks. If Arsenal fans are feeling frustrated at the prospect of facing City at the Etihad Stadium next weekend, it will be partly due to their recent history of stumbling in the final stages of the season. The City has reached much stronger finals than Arsenal during the final stages of the last four seasons, regardless of their position in the table relative to the Gunners. Arsenal will need to break that trend if they want to prevent their agonizing wait for another Premier League title from extending to a twenty-third year.

James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images

Analysis of Previous Seasons: Concerning Patterns?

2021-22

The Arsenal were the youngest team in the Premier League with an average age of just 24 years and 308 days. They were fighting for European qualification. Despite being closely pursued by Liverpool, City spent the entire second half of the season at the top of the table and ultimately won the league by a single point. As a comparison, Pep Guardiola’s champions earned 30 points from their remaining 12 matches of the season, while Arsenal could only manage 18 in the same time period, which earned them a fifth-place finish and qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

2022-23

Three years ago, Arsenal were at the top of the table with 27 games played, five points ahead of defending champions City in second place, both having played the same number of games.

The Gunners held the top spot until matchday 33, when they were mercilessly defeated 4-1 by City at the Etihad and were displaced from first place in the process. City held firm, winning the title by five points, after having obtained 31 points in their last 12 matches, compared to Arsenal’s meager 21 points. That was the first part of City’s Treble triumph, as they also won the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League that season.

2023-24

Arsenal found themselves competing with Manchester City and Liverpool for the title for most of the 2023-24 campaign. In fact, the three teams were often separated by only one or two points throughout the second half of the season in what turned out to be one of the most exciting title races in recent years.

The Gunners went all the way, and even topped the table on several occasions in May. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to prevent City from breaking through and sweeping their way to a fourth consecutive title win. Guardiola’s team won just one point more than Arsenal over the course of their respective final 12 games, but it was enough for them to close the deal with victory over West Ham United on the final day.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

2024-25

With Manchester City suffering from exhaustion and far from the pace in the title race, Liverpool and Arsenal were left to fight at the top of the Premier League. Arteta’s team had been in second place since December, but a series of points lost during the last weeks of the season (notably a painful 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth in early May) allowed Liverpool to pull away at the top to finish 10 points ahead.

Despite falling to seventh place just before Christmas, City at least managed to improve their results after the turn of the year. They even earned more points than Arsenal (27 points to 21) in their last 12 games of the campaign to finish in third place, just three points behind the exhausted Gunners.