by As the dust settles after the Christmas program there is one clear winner: Manchester City. Not only did the champions win the Club World Cup with a pair of simple wins over Urawa Red Diamonds and Fluminense, but they returned to England to find that nobody had really benefited from their absence. Wins against Everton and Sheffield United are five points off the top with a game in hand.
Despite the perception that they are still nowhere near their best, they have won six of their last seven games in all competitions and will not play another side in the top eight until the Manchester game on the first weekend of March. Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Jérémy Doku should all be back from injury within the next month. The streak of consecutive victories that everyone is predicting for them may have already begun.
Liverpool, at least, ensured the gap remained at five points with their 4-2 win over Newcastle United on Monday. It might not make much sense to criticize a team that had just achieved a record xG of 7.27, but it was a game that didn’t wrap up until Mohamed Salah’s 86th minute penalty and, as such, fit the Christmas pattern . . Although they beat Burnley 2-0 on Boxing Day, it was a game they should have wrapped up much sooner than they did, even though they had the upper hand against Arsenal and, in particular, Manchester United without their be able to take advantage of it.
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Not only does the ruthless lack of points in the final third risk dropping points, but it creates a frustration which, at the moment, seems to be reflected, at least among fans, in conspiracy theories obscene about refereeing (the second soft award. a penalty, probably, Anthony Taylor was in deep cover, which gave Liverpool a decision in a game they were going to win anyway to cover their tracks).
Aston Villa are three points back in second place, a testament to the extraordinary job Unai Emery has done since taking charge, but they have struggled to take seven points from a relatively simple festive schedule. January, with the FA Cup final at Middlesbrough and the winter break, could offer some respite but since the second half of the defeat at Arsenal, they have looked extremely tired.
But Arsenal were the big losers of Christmas, back-to-back wins against West Ham and Fulham mean they have taken just four points from their last five games. They are not completely out of the race yet, and the constant hope is that City will face a brutal run through March – United, Liverpool, Brighton, Arsenal and Villa – but one cannot help but wonder where Arsenal could be relative. to them. Because they are level on points having played more games, but even with a win at Villa and a draw at Liverpool, West Ham and Fulham would be six points clear of City, the kind of margin that makes it inevitable . pressure on the chaser.
What is worse than the method of victories. For most of the first half of the season there was a sense that this Arsenal was less flamboyant than last season’s side but probably better equipped for a serious run at the title due to their depth and solidity. better protection. At some point, it was expected, the midfield would settle and there would be a return to the fluency of the first half of last season. Not only has that not happened, but the front three have collectively lost and the result has been a general increase in confidence.
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It was Newcastle who showed the way in November, doubling up on Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. With the wide players neutralized, it was clear that there was little creativity coming from the middle. While Martin Ødegaard’s form has improved over the past few weeks, and despite occasional flickers from Kai Havertz, that has always been true, the lack of a truly clinical finisher has worsened the situation. It’s true, as many have said, that you don’t need a great scorer to win the league but it helps when you’re not playing well to have someone in your side who can steal something.
And what the lack of goals does is put pressure on the defense and the truth is that Arsenal have not been great at dealing with pressure or opposition since around 2005. The defense was shambolic for Fulham’s winner, three Arsenal players going previously in uncertain contact. Bobby Decordova-Reid jabbed it over the line. Distressed goals happen but this feels like a pattern. No one took responsibility – which became an unfortunate trait. The shallowness of Arsenal’s squad was clearly exposed at the end of last season, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t bottled up just as much.
All of that leaves Liverpool with a flawed top, but City have looked particularly awful in the second half of the campaign.
