For many Arsenal fans, there will be a sense of deja vu. Leading the Premier League at Christmas before being eaten up by a relentless Pep Guardiola side is something the Gunners have got a little bit used to.
Seeing a seven-point lead over Manchester City cut to two in the space of five games won’t exactly fill them with confidence either.
“We’re back on top of the table but we’re not watching City too much, or the other teams,” said Bukayo Saka. “We’re in control now. We know if we win every week we’ll stay there.”
Arteta added: “The only thing we can control is our own performance and results and we know how long it’s going to be and how tough is this league. That’s it.”
Manchester City have obviously got history on their side. Guardiola has won the Premier League title six times, the Bundesliga three times with Bayern Munich and La Liga three times with Barcelona. Arteta has no league titles as a manager.
Guardiola’s squad are full of Premier League winners, players who know what it takes to end a campaign strong, while none of the Arsenal squad have won a Premier League – but have experienced losing leads over the past few seasons.
Why can’t this season be different though? Manchester City look far from the relentless side they have in previous seasons – and have already lost four games this campaign, compared to Arsenal‘s two losses.
“We will be there. If they follow me we will be there but we have to improve,” said Guardiola.
“I know the level in Europe, in the Premier League, I know Arsenal and the other teams and how tough they are. It is not enough.
“The spirit is there, last season we did not have the spirit or aggression or hunger – all the attributes they need. It is not about the highlights and how good the actions are, there is something that comes from inside where we will recover from the Club World Cup.”
City’s attack is flowing, having scored 10 more goals than Arsenal, but having also conceded six more – you feel the title race could be defined by whether City’s goals can outshine Arsenal‘s solidity.