Newcastle United's Eddie Howe and Arsenal's Mikel Arteta
Newcastle United's Eddie Howe and Arsenal's Mikel Arteta
It's high stakes and high pressure. Champions League qualification is paramount for so many clubs and as the race tightens up, so do the nerves.
Two games to go. Five points separating second and seventh in the Premier League table. It is a race that is going to go down to the wire.
In truth, the Premier League - and the TV companies paying billions for the right - need the drama. The relegation positions have long been known and filled, as had the title at the opposite end of the standings. Liverpool have cruised to the championship without, you feel, ever getting out of third gear. Consistency has been the mantra, although they have undoubtedly showed some real quality throughout the side, with Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and their midfield trio excelling throughout the course of the campaign.
Arsenal were expected to put some pressure on Arne Slot's men but, as in recent seasons, they've crumbled when the going got tough. Instead of fighting the Reds all the way to the end, Mikel Arteta's men allowed them a free run to the finishing line.
Now, Arsenal may not even finish second. They are two points ahead of Newcastle in third place but should the Magpies produce a win when the two sides meet on Sunday, and then Man City beat Southampton, the Gunners would head into their final game level on points with Pep Guardiola's men, albeit with a superior goal difference.
Ifs and buts and a lot of football to be played but it's hardly the end to the season Arsenal hoped for. Their last remaining hope, the Champions League, ended at the semi-final stage as an excellent Paris St Germain side dumped them out. And with Arsenal seemingly no closer to ending a trophy drought that now dates back to 2020, the pressure is ramping up on Arteta.
Just look at his recent comments. Pre and post-match against PSG and then again after the Liverpool draw, including a blatant falsehood involving Newcastle. Emotional statements, bizarre claims, mini rants.
From his odd statement that Arsenal got more points than Liverpool's title-winning haul this season in finishing runners-up the last two campaigns, to the 'best side in the Champions League' claim after the PSG defeat. And now, after watching his side recover from 2-0 down at Anfield, an outburst that had many watchers scratching their heads.
“I was unhappy with a lot of the parts, especially the defending standards and the errors after we gave the ball away, which is totally prohibited against this team," said the Arsenal boss. "We were very far off it. I was really upset. Yeah, we had a reaction but I hate reaction, I like action. Especially if we want to be there winning trophies.
“Does the reaction make up for it? I think it makes it worse. You miss half of the team again – and we have done it for nine months – and you can still come back from 2-0 at Anfield.
“We played the way we played, come back and maybe should have won it, and at the end maybe lose it with something that was in our hands. And having to play for the sixth time with 10 men. If we want to really win it, the consistency level for 95 minutes . . . I don’t like to talk about the players that are not here and the excuses. I am disappointed.
“What I saw in the first 25 minutes or 30 minutes, phwoar, I was killing myself. Sorry for the words that I use.”
Arteta is a fine coach and a very good manager. He has transformed Arsenal into genuine title contenders with a mean defence and a youthful, vibrant attacking style that is pleasing on the eye, even without a top-drawer forward. But when the emotions run high, he often fails to keep them in check - as he showed at St James' Park a couple of years ago.
Newcastle fans and club officials have often watched on curiously at the antics of Arteta. While Jason Tindall isn't shy of a confrontation or two, in the main for United it's a policy of composure and control.
The Magpies are a club who have experienced their fair share of emotional managers. Kevin Keegan's 'love it' rant has gone down in folklore and Sir Bobby Robson wasn't afraid of showing his feelings to the media. Eddie Howe is different, however. If you hadn't watched a game or knew the result, it would sometimes be hard to discern from a post-match interview whether Newcastle had won or lost, such is the level nature of his reactions. Never too high after a win or too low after a defeat.
It's similar on the sidelines. There is no frantic gesticulations or encroachment on the pitch, grabbing of balls or hollering at the fourth official. Tindall does all that!
That isn't to decry Howe of being emotionless or lacking feelings towards the game, but one thing he has been able to do incredibly well during his time on Tyneside is tapping into the fervour and passion of the club and fans, while maintaining his own control.
When the pressure is on and the emotions are running high, it's a superb trait to have. Newcastle will be hoping it comes in handy on Sunday at the Emirates - in sharp contrast to an animated Arteta alongside him on the touchline.