LONDON – A bruising few days have provided a stark reality check to the growing euphoria at Arsenal, but all is not lost for the Gunners who will now focus solely on trying to win their first English Premier League title for 20 years.
Mikel Arteta’s men were handed an open goal when Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace last weekend but, a few hours later, were left stunned by a 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa, their first Premier League loss of 2024.
Those results handed Manchester City control of a three-way title race with six games remaining. Pep Guardiola’s side lead Arsenal and Liverpool by two points.
Their Champions League quarter-final exit by Bayern Munich on April 17 was another gut blow for the Gunners, who have suddenly lost their sparkle.
There is nothing like another game to refocus minds, however.
Arsenal’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on April 20 offers the perfect opportunity to get back on track and heap some pressure on City by moving back to the top of the standings.
“I am now fully focused on the times ahead of us,” said Arteta on April 19, as he looked ahead to the match while seeking to draw a line under three successive games without a victory.
“We are now behind Manchester City and we will give it a good go. The context is clear. If we win (against Wolves), we are top of the league. If you need anything else to be motivated and if you need anything else to keep your mind clear, you have a problem.”
Encouragingly for Arsenal, they have won their last five league games against Wolves.
The hosts are on a five-match winless run in all competitions as they sit bang in the middle of the table.
“We’ve got Wolves away, and that’s where our big reaction is going to happen,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice insisted, after the 1-0 loss (3-2 on aggregate) to Bayern.
Arsenal were not alone in suffering Champions League heartbreak.
City’s hopes of a second successive treble were wrecked as they lost to Real Madrid on penalties after their quarter-final clash ended 4-4 on aggregate.
Guardiola’s men are in FA Cup semi-final action against Chelsea on April 20, meaning Liverpool also have the chance to climb above City when they travel to Fulham on April 21.
Whatever happens with the Reds, Arteta wants his team to first take advantage of the situation and not slip up again.
“We should have won the game against Villa and we paid the price for missing our chances. Now it’s not about talking too much, we have to show what we’re made of when we play Wolves,” he said.
Arsenal do not have injury concerns, with Jurrien Timber out for nearly the whole campaign but closing in on a return.
“Too soon for him (to play against Wolves). He’s going to continue to play for the Under-23s.
“He looked good in training. He now needs to make that step and the certainty to go,” added Arteta.
Captain Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka headed into the Bayern game doubtful, but both featured and should be ready to face Wolves.
The home side, meanwhile, could be missing six players in Pedro Neto, Craig Dawson, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nelson Semedo and Matheus Cunha.
Gary O’Neil’s men are winless in their last four league matches, but should not be underestimated when playing against the top teams at home.
They won their last two games at Molineux against sides starting the day in the top two, beating City 2-1 in September and Tottenham Hotspur by the same score in November.
“Mikel is doing an incredible job. It will be a tough test for us. They have a lot of games coming up, so it’s a busy week for them as well, and we will have a right go,” said O’Neil. REUTERS
