After a game at Manchester City that demanded everything, Mikel Arteta has given his Arsenal players two days off. It could be said that it is needed now more than ever to afford them some breathing space, but this was always the plan.
What’s more, the mood in the Arsenal dressing room isn’t as devastated as perception would have it. A tone was set by Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard afterwards. They very much feel “this isn’t done”.
Somewhat ironically, there was actually encouragement from the performance in the 2-1 defeat, because it was superior to almost all of Arsenal’s wins in 2026. The players don’t feel they should have lost the game.
Arteta and his staff might well say that’s what happens when you have some of your best attackers back – and there’s still Bukayo Saka to return.
That’s why this very mood is now fascinating, as the long-time leaders attempt to rally for the run-in.
It’s like the worst has happened, but not in the worst way. They didn’t crumble, or collapse. They instead feel a different defiance. That might prove very important given how the last few months have gone.
After all, Arsenal have essentially been playing with the anxiety of precisely this situation for all that time; of letting their lead slip; of crumbling; of “bottling it”.
Now it has happened, and it doesn’t feel as bad as was expected. That pressure is now off, as a different pressure ratchets up. Arteta reminded them that the title is still in their hands. There’s a different mood, and maybe a new belief about their football.
If all of this sounds like positive “spin” – as one club insider genuinely quipped in relaying it – there’s a relevant example from modern history. And it comes from the very team they played on Sunday.
Back at this exact time 14 years ago, City were hoping to end the wait for a first title in 44 years and were suffering through every moment of the 2011-12 run-in. They felt it was lost.
After bad draws against Stoke City and Sunderland in successive weeks, they finally went eight points behind Manchester United after a 1-0 defeat to… Arsenal. The goal was even scored by one Mikel Arteta.
Although that provoked such a bad reaction in the camp that Vincent Kompany and Mario Balotelli had a bust-up, it was almost like it served as a cleanser. Again, the worst had happened, so there was then a new calm.
The next two games saw them put four past West Brom and six past Norwich City to set up a six-game winning streak culminating in Sergio Aguero’s famous winner.
It of course helped that a player of Carlos Tevez’s quality returned after his controversial banishment, to elevate the side but also change the mood. There may also be a parallel there, even if the circumstances are obviously different.
With Odegaard having finally returned to the team, Arsenal are hopeful that Saka comes back over the next week. There is the possibility that those two and Kai Havertz could play together for the first time since December 2024.
That is a long time, especially since this was the trio responsible for an attack that scored 91 goals in the 2023-24 season. It’s not a coincidence Arsenal haven’t looked the same since. With just two of them, you could immediately see the change of emphasis in their play on Sunday.
Some of the staff were enthused by Odegaard’s performance, especially with the way it immediately became clear how and why Arteta has him as the player to knit everything together. That will be deepened if Saka returns.
As one source said, Arteta especially missed the winger in the City game for the way he would have been the recipient of David Raya’s long passes on the right to then go one on one against his man. There’s an argument that City’s second goal doesn’t come in the way it did if he is there.
The timing might also be crucial if this does become a shoot-out for goal difference. Of course, to make that happen, Arsenal have to go and actually win – and respond. With City now expected to smash Burnley on Wednesday, Arsenal will then face a different type of pressure to beat Newcastle United.
If that happens, however, the run-in adopts a different rhythm.
It isn’t a full-out sprint because of the timing of games. Arsenal will play twice – at home to Newcastle and Fulham – before City face Bournemouth the following midweek due to the FA Cup. Such shifts in the table can cause shifts in moods.
Both clubs will likely face different types of congestion, too. While City face a sudden crunch of trying to accommodate two competitions if they get to an FA Cup final as expected, Arsenal have an emotionally intensive Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
That can also go either way in terms of mood. If Arsenal go out, it might be a final deflation. If they go through, and reach a Champions League final for just the second time in their history, there will be a rush of energy through the club.
It’s also why these two days off are seen as significant. There’s a sense that Arteta is now doing things a bit differently, that he’s realised the need for some changes. Previously, there had been concerns that Arsenal’s training was too intense, especially as a reaction to bad results. Now, he’s looking at it in a different way. All of Arsenal may have to do the same.
With the way this entire season has gone, it does not feel likely that either side wins all of their games. This is set up for another two twists at least – and maybe a title climax unlike any in years.
