ARSENAL are two games from glory. Three from sporting immortality.
Mikel Arteta’s table-toppers lead chasers Manchester City by two points, having played 36 out of 38 Premier League matches. The Gunners host Burnley in north London tomorrow evening, knowing a victory would put them within touching distance of a first title for 22 long years.
If they then also beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park next Sunday, they will be crowned champions for the first time since their Invincibles vintage of May 2004. With Oliver Glasner’s side possibly distracted by the prospect of their Europa Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig the following week, the enticing prospect for Gooners everywhere looms large.
Yet, a mere four weeks previously, Arsenal appeared down and out in the title race following their crushing home defeat by Bournemouth, amplified by the 2-1 loss at City a week later, albeit with a far better performance.
However, Arteta, improbably, yet impressively, rejuvenated his side, with such momentous leadership as to be studied by the Harvard Business Review.
Three successive league wins, sandwiched by the Gunners also reaching their first Champions League final since 2006, when they booked a date against billionaire moneybags PSG in Budapest at the end of the month, have helped tip the title race on its head. The Champions League date with destiny coming after the greatest evening in Ashburton Grove’s 20-year history when beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 to reach the Hungarian capital — meaning a trio of wins from their remaining matches will result in what will quite possibly be the greatest season in the club’s long and illustrious 140-year history.
Yet, such are the fine margins, if Arteta’s side falter against the Clarets, or against Palace, Pep Guardiola’s City — who landed their second domestic trophy this term when eclipsing Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley — could agonisingly stride past the Gunners to lift the title. Making it a deeply frustrating four runners-up placings in succession for Arteta and Arsenal, an unwanted “feat” without precedence in English football.
No pressure then for Arsenal and their manager.
Arteta has always been a decent man, one who lives and breathes the game. While the San Sebastian-born boss has had to wade through unprecedented criticism for a team who have led the Premier League for vast swathes of the last few seasons, the fact the Arsenal supremo has been unable to lead his team over the line when chasing the big trophies, or since 2020, any at all, has always been held against him by detractors, non-believers and those who have strangely taken against him.
In a world where his Arsenal team can attract more opprobrium when they win — and nefarious, gloating schadenfreude when they lose, than, say, the two FA Cup finalists this weekend — it seems strange, even perverse, that clubs owned by sovereign wealth funds with questionable human rights records, let alone allegedly dubious financial affairs, and those fined for shady transfer payments, escape as much criticism as that which is heaped upon Arteta and his club.
With FA Cup runners-up Chelsea having been fined £47m over secret payments, while the Premier League is still to rule over the 115 charges still pending from City, including overstating sponsorship revenue, failing to provide accurate financial information, breaching player and manager remuneration rules, as well as non-compliance with investigatory obligations, no wonder the 2026 version of the domestic showpiece event was seen as decidedly underwhelming.
Yet it is Arsenal who are lambasted relentlessly for having the temerity to win using set pieces.
Detractors once again showed their true colours last weekend. When even the goalkeeper’s union broke ranks from their usual tacit support of netminders during the furore that erupted following VAR disallowing West Ham’s late equaliser at the London Stadium last weekend, which allowed the Gunners to emerge victorious with a vital three points. Not least when studio guest Shay Given preposterously refused to accept former official Darren Cann’s calm and insightful explanation on Match of the Day 2 as to why the arm of West Ham’s Pablo used against Raya was simply unacceptable.
When speaking ahead of the Burnley clash, Arteta refused to be drawn on such topics, saying: “Everybody is so enthusiastic and so positive about the way that we can finish the season,” adding pointedly of the VAR verdict in east London: “I think it’s very clear, I don’t think anybody that has football knowledge would question about the decision and that they took the right one.”
Ahead of a momentous few weeks, critics will surely change their tune if Arsenal’s improbables can navigate their trio of crucial clashes and make it a merry month of May, shading even the notable achievements of the gilded Invincibles, to become immortal.
The form book is certainly in Arsenal’s favour, with the Gunners losing just one of their last 19 league matches against the Clarets (W14, D4), with Burnley netting only nine goals during that period. Arteta’s league leaders winning 15 and losing just two of their last 19 home games, while failing to score in only one of their last 24 games in N5.
Indeed, according to Arsenal data guru Orbinho, Burnley have never won a league game against a side starting the day top of the table in 13 attempts. Arteta will be aware the visitors also failed to muster a single shot on target during November’s reverse fixture at Turf Moor, when the north Londoners won 2-0 — with their three efforts off target that failed to trouble David Raya are the joint-fewest of any team the table toppers have faced this term.
Arteta will be hoping club captain Martin Odegaard is fit, with the Norwegian notching two goals and an assist in his last three matches against the Lancastrians.
Odegaard, whose season has been blighted by injury, following an indifferent campaign last term that was also marred by long-term injuries, was the catalyst for Leo Trossard’s crucial late winner at West Ham last week, prior to the post-match fuss after VAR correctly ruled out the Irons late equaliser for a foul on Raya.
“The team is really present, it’s just living the moment, it’s emotionally in a really good state, I think, it’s the right one,” said Arteta during his pre-Clarets press conference on Thursday, adding: “We focus just on the things that are in our hands, which is preparing the best possible way to beat Burnley, that’s it.”
With already relegated Burnley not only failing to score in four of their last five matches against Arsenal, but also unable to keep a clean sheet in their last 28 Premier League away matches — this season conceding more goals away from home than any other side in the top flight (45), with only rock-bottom Wolves picking up fewer points on their travels this year — Monday evening in Islington could see the Gunners edge ever closer to glory: as Arteta’s improbables’ date with destiny approaches in their quest to become the Immortals.