Arsenal's title rivalry is a lot more than you think

This article was compiled from: theathletic

Written by Amy Lawrence

原标题：Arsenal have more experience than you think when it comes to winning titles

This season, there has been a strange phenomenon where people are no longer making predictions based on past results, but are suddenly focusing on upcoming games. This is a huge psychological cue. The games experienced are still counting points, and the upcoming races come with an inevitable sense of urgency and stress. It's like a quiz show where contestants have 10 seconds to say the names of three countries that begin with A, while the ticking of clocks rings like cymbals in their heads. Even though they can easily recall the names of 12 countries, their brains stop working instantly as soon as they hear the countdown.

Naturally, those critics have been looking at Arsenal to see when they can stop competing for the title. Can they withstand the pressure that their championship rivals put on them? Can they sustain a good upward momentum?

So far, Arsenal have taken the initiative to win the title. Their winning streak since early February has included last-minute kills, easy wins and stylish victories.

But Arsenal's performance was not flawless. Crystal Palace's chances and an unexpected goal in Sunday's match are proof of that. But Arsenal's commitment in attack, aggressive running, clever game strategy and clear passing structure are at the heart of their game.

Arsenal seemed to enjoy yesterday's 4-1 win, and it's remarkable for a young team that wasn't favoured at the start of the season to stay in the league title race heading into April. Although Vieira had been sacked by Crystal Palace before the start of the match, Arsenal fans still sang in solidarity with the former icon. In the Vieira era, that Arsenal team had a lot of star players and played flamboyant football that was pleasing to the eye.

It's reasonable to wonder if a lack of Premier League experience will be a hindrance for Arsenal to move forward at this stage. Of course, the young Arsenal are relatively novices compared to Manchester City, who have won the Premier League in four of their last five seasons. Some commentators and pundits attach great importance to the impact of the winning experience. When it comes to this debate, knowing how to strike a balance between different matches is obviously helpful in the race for the title.

As it happens, Arsenal now have a lot of players with championship experience, not what the outside world thinks.

Of course, Jesus and Zinchenko, brought in from Manchester City last summer, certainly had the biggest impact. From the first day they joined the team, every player around noticed the difference and was excited about it. Jesus inspired his teammates with his professionalism in training, while Zinchenko instilled his determination to win in everyone in the team. Zinchenko noticed that his teammates had moved from mocking him when he first arrived to challenging his former club to fully trusting him now.

In addition to these two players, Arsenal have seven other players in their squad who have won the league, plus Jorginho, who has won the European Cup and the Champions League despite the fact that he has not yet won the domestic league. Xhaka and Elneny have both won multiple league titles in Basel, and Tierney also has league winning experience with Celtic. There is also Thomas who played for Atletico, Trosad who played for Genk, Fabio Vieira who played for Porto... Gabriel played for Dinamo Zagreb and, although he was too young to play much, was part of that year's league champions squad.

These players know what's at stake on the road to the title and know how they can help Arsenal with their previous title-winning experience.

Of course, while facing Crystal Palace at home without a manager is not Arsenal's toughest test on the title race, there are still players with leadership qualities on the pitch who inspire the team.

Xhaka is one such player. Towards the end of the game, he would have been able to get a short break from a single substitution from the team, but was still busy with everything. He kissed Martinelli when he was substituted and then went straight to Jorginho for a brief conversation with the latter. When he noticed that there were no defenders to throw the touchline ball, he quickly alerted Tierney. We saw scenes on the pitch that only appear in action movies: in a confrontation, when Xhaka was hit hard in the knee and got back up, the home fans thanked him for his hard work on the pitch by giving him a standing ovation.

Arsenal's bench also gives a glimpse of the depth of the squad now. Jesus, Jorginho, Tierney and the delightful Smith-Rowe have allowed Arteta to make substitutions with ease – perhaps the happiest annoyance he has faced since taking office. Every player is eager to play. Despite playing very little minutes this season, Tierney has been excellent in the first 60 minutes of the game.

Arsenal's young players, who have grown up this season, also have more skills and experience commensurate with their age.

Odegaard has clearly adapted to the role of captain of the team and has always wanted to influence the game and inspire those around him. Saka and Martinelli are so exciting and energetic, and the continued excellent performances of these two young players in the tournament also allow them to definitely not be overlooked by their respective national teams. These three players are completely different types of opportunity makers and are not afraid to take responsibility.

"Sometimes it's really hard, but the end result is worth everything and all we can do... We have the belief and the desire to do that and I think we'll be able to do that this year, and nothing can stop us from moving forward. ”

Some of Arsenal's combinations can sometimes be confusing. Saka, Martinelli, Trossard and Odegaard, the four frontcourt players, sometimes behave a little selfishly; Holding made a rare complaint about his partner Gabriel in the back before the end of the game; The pairing of Saka and Ben White on the right can also create some problems – Saka is good at solving problems on his own, and when Ben White tries to help him, it can backfire. Thomas appears to be a potential option in the right-back position. Throughout the team, there will be many discordant voices throughout.

In the last 10 games, this pressure and sense of urgency will continue to increase. Arsenal have to deal with something extratergent outside of their opponents – their own tight nerves. But the game needs to be played one by one, and the most important issue at this stage is to hope that everyone can return safely from the international break.

Arteta's request to these players who went to cover the national team was simple:

'They need to take care of themselves during this time and return to the next Leeds United with the same mentality and desire to win as before, because it's the only game that matters at the moment.'

Anyone who has done this knows the importance of facing every task. Face each opponent one by one, day after day, with maximum effort and focus.