Heading into this weekend’s matches, Pep Guardiola would have secretly hoped for a victory for Wolverhampton Wanderers – and not so secretly hoped for a victory for the Blues, of course.
Sadly for the Manchester City boss, the exact opposite unfolded on Saturday. City’s frustration at falling to a resolute Brentford side was compounded by Arsenal’s victory at Molineux.
While a Wolves win would no doubt have been met with a wry smile from Guardiola, the City boss often emphasises that both his and his team’s full focus is on their own performances, as whatever happens elsewhere is out of their control. Mikel Arteta, on the other hand, made no secret of the fact his squad were fully invested in City’s result on Saturday.
In a post-match interview, Arteta all but revealed that there were mass celebrations on the Arsenal team coach when Ivan Toney bagged the winner at the Etihad. “We were on the bus. We all watched it together like we normally do with many other games,” Arteta said.
“You can imagine,” he admitted when asked about the reaction to the Brentford winner. “Nobody expected us to be where we are right now.”
Arteta went on to add the usual clichés about focusing on themselves but, by that point, the mask had already slipped. Arsenal may well be five points clear at Christmas but their young squad is inexperienced when it comes to title races.
Their reaction to City’s slip-up suggests that they are perhaps banking on others making mistakes rather than their own good form. Of course, it is only natural that, in private, you celebrate a defeat for your closest title rival.
However, making that information public knowledge is perhaps an error of judgement on the Arsenal manager’s behalf. Let us not forget that this young Gunners side suffered two defeats in three league games at the back end of last season which saw them throw Champions League football away.
That will still remain fresh in the mind of Arteta and the North London club’s fanbase while City are becoming experts when it comes to the run-in. Guardiola’s men have been there and done it over several years and, unlike Arsenal, have been ever-present at the top end of the league for years.
City have come across every likely bump in the road in the race for the Premier League title. Guardiola’s men still have to play Arsenal twice before the end of the campaign, so it is unlikely that they will be fazed by the five-point gap at this stage