Liverpool are out of it. A late-season collapse, with defeats at home to Crystal Palace and away to arch-rivals Everton, means it’s between Arsenal and defending champions Manchester City as to who lifts the title.
It’s been a title tussle for the ages and we are into the championship rounds, but to borrow another boxing pun, who will land the knockout punch?
We break down the run-in below.
Key Contenders – Top Teams in the Race
And then were two…
After Jürgen Klopp’s fond farewell fell from grace–talks of a quadruple were somewhat overstated–it’s left to the Gunners and the Citizens to battle it out.
The advantage is with the Sky Blues. They are one point behind Arsenal, but have a game in hand. However, any slip up could let the London club in, due to their superior goal difference (Arsenal have +60 while Manchester City have +54).
Here are the remaining fixtures at the time of writing:#
Manchester City: Fulham (a), Tottenham (a), and West Ham (h)
Arsenal: Man Utd (a), Everton (h)
Recent Performances – Form Guide
Let’s start by looking at the Manchester City juggernaut.
They haven’t lost a league game since December last year, putting together an unbeaten run that is stretching past 20 games. In their six victories since the start of April, they scored 24 goals–that’s an average of four goals per game–and conceded just five.
Erling Haaland has found his feet again and is searching his seventh Premier League hat-trick in just his second season after notching an imperious treble against Wolves. Only seven players have scored three times or more in a match more than six times.
In short, they look impressive.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are not going away. This is not like last year. They have staying power.
The mid-April 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa might have derailed them last season, but they have impressive bouncebackability now, and have won four straight since then, scoring 13 goals and keeping three clean sheets in that run.
There’s nothing to choose between the two, in terms of recent form and performances.
Remaining Fixtures – Decisive Matches Ahead
Of the remaining fixtures, there remains one tricky-looking fixture apiece for each team.
The Citizens have a double-header in the capital city, facing Fulham at Craven Cottage before taking on Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It’s the latter that will cause most concern for Pep Guardiola. Remarkably, they have failed to win on any of their past four league trips to the new stadium, failing to register a goal on any occasion.
For Arsenal, it’s undoubtedly a trip to old foes Manchester United. The Red Devils are in all sorts of dire straits, but have players to hurt the Gunners. A win would almost certainly steer the title back to the blue half of Manchester again.
Factors Influencing the Title Race
We know how good both teams are. Now it all comes down to bottle.
Last year, the Gunners were lacking in it. This time around, they have filled it up to the brim and tossed it at Manchester City. Will they let it slip through their grasp? Or is the team’s recent experience of winning titles going to be enough to get them over the line?
Fan Engagement – Excitement Among Supporters
They often say the crowd acts as the twelfth man in football–with passionate supporters roaring their team home in the face of uncertainty or adversity.
The Manchester City fans have been here before–they are used to winning titles and four in a row would be an amazing accomplishment. Can they carry them home?
Arsenal supporters are long suffering after 20 years without a league title triumph. They might want it more. They might need it more. But do they have what it takes to carry their team over the line?
Socios.com Partnership with Title Contenders
Arsenal and Manchester City have partnered with Socios.com to enhance fan engagement during the championship battle and in the heat of the showdown, there are some red-hot benefits awaiting their fans.
Socios.com is a platform that uses blockchain technology to create a new way for fans to engage with their favourite sports teams. It operates on a fan token model, where fans can purchase digital tokens that represent voting rights and access to exclusive team rewards.
Both teams have used the platform to conduct polls and surveys, allowing fans to vote on various decisions such as player of the month, man of the match, and even in-game challenges.
It brings sports teams and fans closer together.
