Arsenal have spent the season attempting to show a mental toughness that failed them when it mattered last season.. Mikel Arteta’s side topped the Premier League for almost all of the last campaign, only to be reeled in and overtaken by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City machine at the last. It was April when City smashed up the Gunners at the Etihad and May when they finally left their rivals in the dust.. City’s quality could not be ignored, but several Arsenal players would go on to admit that the pressure of trying to chase down a first title affected them. The hunger that had spurred them on for most of the year turned into nerves as they tried to see out what they had worked so hard for.. ALSO READ: Pep Guardiola breaks Man City silence over season ticket rises. ALSO READ: City dealt major injury blow ahead of Arsenal. “I believe sometimes at the end of the season that we were nervous as a team,” said Arsenal and former City striker Gabriel Jesus. “City were not nervous because normally they win. That is the big difference.”. It is impossible to know whether Arsenal are mentally better now or not. Aaron Ramsdale said after their Community Shield win on penalties in August that the victory was important for them to move on from last year, and Arteta then swiftly moved on from Ramsdale in the sort of brutal upgrade that he watched Pep Guardiola do to Joe Hart at the Etihad.. City can’t be sure either, but the best chance of opening up those old wounds is to inflict yet another defeat on Arsenal in Manchester. Guardiola has won all seven of his league games against the North Londoners on home turf and an eighth would see them jump ahead in the table with nine games to go.. Arsenal have not been as dominant this season in what has been more of a three-horse race, yet even if they feel there are positives to leave the Etihad with if there are no points to accompany it that would severely test the confidence and belief in Arteta’s side ahead of the most critical part of the season. Those would certainly be the stories and questions following them home even if the defeat ends up simply being one team beating another and nothing to do with mentality.. If there are any lingering consequences, or simply another performance that doesn’t bring a win, that could be all City or Liverpool need to not look back and whittle down the title race. It is not often that title contenders get the chance to direct influence and impact on their rivals in the crunch time of the season, and City know already what a difference it can make.
