Arsenal must release the shackles of fear and get back to blowing teams away if they are to be successful in their bid to land a first Premier League title in more than 20 years
Mikel Arteta has seen his Arsenal side look nervous in recent weeks
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The nerves are jangling and you can feel the tension already. Arsenal fans should be enjoying this season because they are top of the Premier League, top of the Champions League table and are into the semi finals of the Carabao Cup.
Yet Arsenal are suffering a serious case of the jitters. They are leading a three-horse title race but it is Arsenal who are biting their finger nails, almost beset with doubt and anxiety. And it is so naive to suggest otherwise.
Aston Villa come to the Emirates on Tuesday night riding the crest of a wave on the back of 11 straight wins. Manchester City look assured because they have been there, seen it, done it and won it so many times before.
Arsenal fans are making the players nervous. The players are making the fans nervous. Mikel Arteta is arguably calmer on the touchline this season but even he is struggling to quell the growing sense of anxiety.
So, how can Arsenal break the cycle is the bigger question and puzzle. And how did it come to this?
How can Arsenal go from being 2-0 and in cruise control against Brighton to being nervous wrecks with David Raya needing to produce the save of the season to get his team over the line to a nervy 2-1 win? Or blowing leads against Wolves and Crystal Palace before eventually winning through with a 94th minute own goal and penalty shoot-out respectively.
Maybe it is a good thing and a positive they find ways to win. But not many regulars in the Emirates see it like that.
They are supposed to be blowing teams away (their XG is consistently higher than their goal return) - and Arsenal seem weighed down by the pressure of expectation. If injuries do not undermine Arsenal's season then it feels as if nerves probably will.
Three years of finishing runners-up in the title race is only adding to the pressure. This is supposed to be Arsenal’s year. And don’t we know it. There is no escaping it.
Mikel Arteta reacts
Arteta and the Gunners face an Aston Villa team who are flying at the moment
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From being unlikely challengers in 2022/23 when many neutrals wanted them to win, they are no longer the plucky underdogs. They are now seen as the big spenders with the cocky manager (not always a fair description) and seemingly the pick of most pundits.
They are expected to win. The fans are demanding it. The theory is they must win it this year and they will never have a better chance. It is about time Arteta won a major trophy.
It even feels that weight of expectation is weighing heavily on the shoulders of Viktor Gyokeres. The big £64m striker signing brought in to score goals to deliver the title looks as if he jus being held back by the shackles of fear.
Arsenal also have a patchy record against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. They blew a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at the Emirates last season. The season before, they lost 2-0 to Villa in April and that effectively was the nail in the coffin for their title hopes.
The Gunners have got a deep squad, great quality but they will only be the best squad if they win it. And they have to prove they can live up to that expectation.
And that is where the problem lies. Getting over the finish line will open up the floodgates for sustained success. Failure to win this time will raise even more questions and make next season feel even more painful. And that is where this season’s fear stems from.
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