When the Premier League season paused for the Qatar World Cup in November, the race for the title had really only just begun.
With the Gunners sat top of the league at that time, it felt like the foundations for something special were being laid but, in truth, even the most optimistic among our number knew there was a mountain left to climb. After all, we were barely a dozen games into the campaign and the wrong side of Christmas.
No titles are ever won in November and the time off afforded by the unprecedented winter break would surely give coaching staff across the league all the scope needed to reassess and rework their sides before the action recommenced on Boxing Day.
And yet, despite all the time that has passed, despite all the football that has been played, Mikel Arteta’s men remain atop the summit going into April. As challenger after challenger has stumbled, and each test has been overcome, this Arsenal side has turned promise into substance and kept its grip on the top spot clamped tight.
Not many would have predicted that.
That they have been able to keep their noses in front of Manchester City is, in and of itself, a remarkable feat but, having done it for so long and with the ultimate prize now in sight, it would be a crushing blow to let it slip.
That’s not to say it can’t or won’t happen. After all, competing against sides backed by nation states and with seemingly limitless financial resources ensures the playing field is ever-more tilted and the room for error grows narrower by the season. Just ask Liverpool.
But it wouldn’t do for Arteta and the squad to dwell on that now or to contemplate the cards that are stacked against them. This international break will give them a chance to sit down and work on plans for the most important 10 games of their Arsenal careers to date. Game-by-game, opponent-by-opponent, they must plot a path through what is a fiendishly difficult run in that will be fraught with danger as well as opportunity.
Beating Crystal Palace on Sunday put them in a strong position. It saw them round the bend ahead of the pack and into the home straight. From here, it’s a winner-takes-all sprint to the line.
The reality of the league as it is now means that they will have to be near-perfect if they are to avoid stumbling before the finish. Manchester City are relentless at the worst of times and reeling off a run of 10-straight wins would be well within their capabilities. If we’re to come away with the prize, we have to be every bit as relentless.
Luck will play its part – it always does – but that is an intangible that sits out of our control. As the Brentford game amply demonstrated, there is little we can to prevent the mistakes of others. What we can do, though, is control our own performance; our tempo, our aggression, our desire.
We have shown this season that, on our day, almost nobody can live with us. The capacity is there to upset anyone. That spirit must be evoked now in every match and every player, from starter to substitute, must be ready.
The starting gun will fire on 1 April when Leeds United come to the Emirates. As inconsistent as they have been this season, it would be foolish to think that they won’t present us with a serious test. They still have work to do to avoid relegation this season and, as Sporting demonstrated last week, any lack of concentration can and will be punished. We can’t afford complacency.
If we want to get out of the blocks quickly, full focus must be on Leeds. On your marks, Gunners!
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