Arsenal’s Title Hopes Waver Amidst Recent Struggles

omidbasir- Arsenal’s ambitions in the Premier League took another hit on Wednesday, prompting many Gunners supporters to ask, “Is history repeating itself?”

A disappointing 2-2 draw against bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers was detrimental to their title aspirations in the 2025-26 season. Following a previous 1-1 draw against Brentford, Mikel Arteta’s team squandered a two-goal lead at Molineux, missing the chance to extend their advantage over Manchester City to seven points and failing to maintain control over their destiny.

Having held the top position since September, Arsenal’s momentum appears to have waned during this critical phase of the season. They have secured only two victories from their last seven league matches.

Their lead in the Premier League has now shrunk to just five points, with City, who have a game in hand, closely pursuing them. If City wins all of their remaining 12 matches, including an upcoming home fixture against Arsenal in April, they will finish atop the table. Conversely, should Arsenal manage to win their remaining 11 matches, including the crucial trip to the Etihad, they too could claim the title, though their margin for error is now razor-thin.

While the season is far from over, recent statistics do not favor Arteta’s struggling team. City has consistently outperformed Arsenal in the latter stages of the season over the past four years, regardless of their standings at the time.

As the season progresses, Arsenal must reverse the trend of accumulating fewer points than City since the 2021-22 season if they wish to avoid extending their wait for a Premier League title to 23 years.

Currently, Arsenal boasts the youngest squad in the Premier League, with an average age of 24 years and 308 days. In previous seasons, they have often been in contention for European qualification rather than the title itself. Despite facing stiff competition from Liverpool, City managed to stay at the summit for the second half of last season and ultimately clinched the league by a narrow margin.

For context, Pep Guardiola’s champions secured 30 points from their final 12 games last season, while Arsenal could only achieve 18, resulting in a fifth-place finish and qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

Three years ago, Arsenal was in a similar position, leading the table with 27 matches played and five points ahead of defending champions City. They remained at the top until gameweek 33, where a heavy 4-1 defeat to City at the Etihad saw them lose their leading position. City continued to dominate, finishing the season with 31 points from their last 12 matches, ultimately winning the title by five points, which marked the beginning of their Treble-winning campaign.

In the 2023-24 season, Arsenal found themselves competing with City and Liverpool for the title throughout much of the year. The three teams were often separated by just a point or two, leading to one of the most exciting title races in recent memory. The Gunners held the top spot multiple times in May but could not prevent City from clinching their fourth consecutive title, finishing just one point behind.

Despite a challenging start to the season, City improved significantly after the New Year, ultimately earning more points than Arsenal in their final matches. They managed to secure third place, finishing just three points shy of the weary Gunners.