The stress of the applicant

Suffer to win. it reaches to Arsenal the moment of truth, the last seven games, starting tonight at the Emirates against Southampton, where he has the obligation to rely, more than ever, on all that he has done well. Cesar Luis Menotti He always reiterated that, when adversity comes, “we must not betray the idea.” And that is exactly what Mikel Arteta and his players must entrust themselves to dominate the nerves of the decisive moment, not deviate from the method that has transformed Arsenal, and put them before a good chance to win the Premier after 19 that year of waiting.

Due to their own mistakes and for the second week in a row, the Gunners squandered a two-goal advantage and ended up desperate. it happened to them in Anfieldand it happened to them again on Sunday at the London Stadium, allowing themselves to be equalized by Westham. Bad feelings that Arteta’s team, an insulting leader all year, did not see. The brilliant efficiency that his players wore on the field was suddenly in doubt. The result has been moments of doubt and doubt in recent games, the result of pressure, which weighed on the legs of his players, when they faced the final part of the outcome of Premier. Anxiety has arrived Emirates.

What will happen to Arsenal this is the core of performance issues to deal with situations of maximum stress. His dominance throughout the season, reflected in a large points advantage in Manchester City, It comes down to the decisive moment, due to some unexpected mistakes, which comes, above all, because of the excessive responsibility that its players feel.

When Bukayo Saka missed the penalty against the West Ham, Arsenal showed an outdated weakness card. He is not relentless. The young winger, one of the stars of the team all year, made the wrong choice this time, he hesitated, and his shot was not even on goal, due to the poor control of his nerves. He lacked the confidence he had in many of the plays that were decisive in the Gunners’ wins. His face is tense moreover He showed very well the pressure the whole team feels.

psychology comes into play

An eight-point lead was cut to six at Anfield. Now, six have become four after the draw at the London Stadium. The numbers are still in Arsenal’s favor in the title race, even though the City of Manchester they won their pending match against Brighton and came within a point, but the drastic reduction in their advantage will change all the mental responses and reactions of the players on the pitch. Psychology also plays into the Premier League dispute.

In his last four seasons of fighting for the title, the city he is averaging 20.3 points in his last eight games. If the group of Guardiola keep that effectiveness again, not excluded, Arsenal will need 17 points (five wins and two draws) in their last seven games to be champions. City’s dominance and ecstatic second round demand near perfection from the English championships. And he has a letter to argue with etihad the decisive match between the champion and the opponent on Wednesday, April 26.

Since the beginning of the year, Arsenal have won nine games out of 15, a performance that is below what Arsenal would like. Arteta, who spoke of the need for “a ruthless mentality to win the Premiership.” At the moment of truth, when the ‘gunners’ had to step it up a notch, fears arose, and partly because of the kind of pressure City put on to be champions of Premier League. Liverpool experienced this four years ago. They won just 13 of their last 18 games and a relentless City took the title from them on their return.

How did he achieve the City of Manchester year after year is very regular and effective? One of its secrets is its constant evolution. Guardiola never stops changing his tactics to improve the team. Last year he was with the wingers, and this season, in addition to the signing of Haaland In attack, he does it with the central defenders.

has been reinvented Nathan Ake as an effective left-back and created a surprising new figure with John Stones, who was signed at centre-back, becoming a versatile right-back and defensive midfielder. He recovered at the same time the best Ruben Dias on the axis, Laporte was replaced, and Akanji was given the leading role as a marker. The city’s defense has improved all of its effectiveness percentages.

Being the best for a long time requires unlimited mental energy and stamina, months of near-perfection performance. Now, with the first signs of exhaustion, Arsenal need to do the simplest thing: believe again. And it must rely on the efficiency of its system and the greater experience of players like it xhaka, Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus. If football and sport were fair, this title would go to the ‘gunners’. They deserve it for Arteta’s courage in developing the project, his support for talented youngsters and for his commitment to attacking, vertical football with an edge. They must believe in all this, even if they give Guardiola and in city the chance to dig into their collective stress and fight for the title until the end.