There is an idea that ending the calendar year at the summit of the Premier League table provides a strong psychological signal, but for Arsenal, it seems to have developed into a kind of torment since it reminds them of their failure to finish the job. The Gunners are once more leading the pack just before the holidays but are, however, being closely tracked by their present-day nemesis, Manchester City.
The past does not bring any solace to Arsenal. Since the inception of the Premier League, no other club has experienced more disappointment of being top at Christmas and not winning the championship except for the Gunners. The north London club led the league table at Christmas for four times before and were not able to translate those advantages into trophies each time. To add to their misery, Mikel Arteta’s team was on top of the league at Christmas in both 2022 23 and 2023 24 but lost the lead to Pep Guardiola’s ever-dominant City in the closing stages of the season.
The shadow of this scenario is getting bigger day by day. Arsenal have improved in qualities like maturity, defence resilience and having a good squad depth under Arteta, showing progress the club has made from previous seasons. But, trauma of the last defeats is still fresh, especially when the pressure that comes after the Chritmas increases.
Besides, City have changed the way they operate at Christmas. Instead of being the ones to lead the table thus winning titles from behind in three of the last six seasons, they have been regularly closing in on the leaders.
It is all down to the very thing. The effectiveness with which Arsenal can rotate the team, how they deal with injuries, and how consistent they can be even against teams from the bottom half of the table may ultimately sway them one way or another. On the other hand, it is vital also that they win the games against their closest opposition, especially City, who have been able to come through and win when it counts the most in a very consistent manner.
Arteta worked hard to elevate Arsenal into serious title challengers, still, the quite challenging case of the final step has not gone away. The fact that a team is leading the league at Christmas is a source of belief, but it comes with no absolute certainty. Given that the blues are right behind them breathing heavily and with the past putting a heavy burden, it is this one that is their most direct chance to go against the grain and make history and, after all, that they can cross the finish line.
