The title race was always likely to bring real pressure for Arsenal, and after the 1-1 draw with Brentford, it feels like the heat is starting to intensify for Mikel Arteta and his squad.
To be fair, they remain in the strongest position among the contenders — sitting four points clear at the top of the Premier League with only three defeats all season. Still, with Manchester City, led by Pep Guardiola, in pursuit, that advantage hardly seems comfortable.
Part of the concern comes from the missed opportunity against Brentford — a win would have moved them six points ahead, with the chance to stretch the margin to nine by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers next Wednesday, before City play again.
There is also the weight of history. City have repeatedly put together powerful late-season runs to capture titles, while Arsenal have ended up runners-up in each of the past three campaigns.
With 12 matches remaining, past trends are not especially encouraging. Across the last five seasons, Arsenal have managed to win at least 10 of their final 12 league games only once — and in each of those years, they were still outperformed in that closing stretch by the eventual champions.
