The Final Hurdle: Arsenal and Man City Battle for the Premier League Title

The English Premier League (EPL) is heading down to the wire as surprise league leaders, Arsenal, try to hold on to their slender lead against the defending champions, Manchester City.

While City have made a habit of being in a title race over the past decade, Arsenal find themselves in a title race after a long time. The last time the Gunners won the title was in 2003/04, the famous invincible season, while City have won six titles since then, four of them in the past five seasons.

The well-oiled machine of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have been the face of the premier league since the 2010s. The cash-rich club have redefined the English game and have established themselves as the top dog in the league.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have been a shadow of their former selves in the recent past, even failing to qualify for the Champions League for the past seven seasons, which once was a norm. Under the leadership of their greatest-ever manager, Arsene Wenger, Arsenal had managed to qualify for Europe’s premier club football competition for 22 years in a row.

The Gunners found themselves in disarray at the backend of Wenger’s reign and their fortunes did not change under their new manager Unai Emery, who did manage to take them to the Europa League final. His short reign at the club came to an end as Arsenal faltered which led the upper management to put their trust in former captain, Mikel Arteta.

While Arteta got off to a good start with a FA Cup title win, he was unable to take Arsenal to the coveted top-four finish, ending at 8th, 8th, and 5th in his first three seasons respectively. This time around though, Arsenal have shown their mettle.

From top four contenders to title challengers, Mikel Arteta has worked wonders for the club. Arsenal currently sit at the first spot with a six-point lead over City, heading into the final few games. But defending their lead will be no easy task as Arsenal are chased by arguably the best team in Europe.

Here is the league table: (12th April 2022)

City, at times this season, have shown that they are beatable, but as usual, they have been at their ruthless best heading into the final few weeks of the season. The Citizens showcased their class in last night’s 3-0 win over Bayern Munich in the quarter-final of the Champions League, proving that they are prepared to take on any challenge as they chase a historic treble.

Pep Guardiola’s side is famous for the ability to hunt down the league leaders and with just a handful of games left to play in the league, they are in a prime position to win their third successive title.

City, currently have a game in hand over the league leaders and also have to host them at the Etihad, which could prove to be the turning point in the season.

If City manage to win all their nine remaining games, they will be in the driving seat unless Arsenal manage to surpass their superior goal difference. A win or a draw for Arsenal at the Etihad will turn the tide in their favor as they will then finish ahead of City if they manage to win all of their remaining games.

Let’s have a look at the remaining fixtures of both sides:

*Man City vs Brighton date not confirmed

If Arsenal do manage to hold on to their lead, it will be one of the most remarkable achievements in EPL history. If City manage to hunt them down, then there will be no doubt about the status of Manchester City as the most dominant side in the premier league’s 31-year history.

Who do you think will win the Premier League title? Arsenal or Manchester City? Write down your predictions below!