Arsenal and Man City resume title duel after woeful week for English clubs
After a sobering week in Europe for English clubs, some bruised egos return to domestic issues this weekend with the Premier League title race and relegation battles both reaching potentially pivotal moments.
The Premier League’s boast of being the best in Europe took a bit of a hammering over 48 hours this week with none of the six clubs in last-16 action winning.
Manchester City were one of the four teams to suffer defeat and they will need to dust themselves down quickly from a 3-0 defeat at Real Madrid when they face West Ham United away on Saturday evening, by which time they could find themselves 10 points behind leaders Arsenal, albeit from two fewer games.
City were well-beaten in the Bernabeu and will need a remarkable recovery in the second leg to salvage their European hopes, but first they must ensure they do not suffer what could be a knockout blow in the title race.
Arsenal, who needed a last-minute Kai Havertz penalty to scramble a 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, have the opportunity to really turn the screws on City as they host Everton earlier on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side start the weekend seven points clear having played one game more, and while they appear to be labouring of late, they are grinding out results.
They are on a three-match winning run in the league, but the last two — at home to Chelsea and away at Brighton and Hove Albion — were both nervy affairs as the pressure of trying to secure a first title since 2004 began to show.
Everton have won only once in the Premier League at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, in 2021, but will be well-rested and will arrive on the back of successive victories and with their eyes on a potential European qualification slot.
MAN CITY CONFIDENCE SHAKEN
City were beginning to look ominous in pursuit of Arsenal after a four-game winning burst had them breathing down their necks but the suspicion that they are way off Pep Guardiola’s clinical machines of the past remains.
The 2-2 draw at home to Nottingham Forest killed their momentum and the way Real Madrid cut through them on Wednesday will have shaken confidence.
City have won their last seven Premier League games against West Ham but will be wary of a side scrapping for their Premier League lives and showing signs of form.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior suffered his first major setback since replacing Enzo Maresca as his side went down 5-2 at Paris St Germain on Wednesday.
The London club, fifth in the table, will need to quickly shrug that off as they host a Newcastle United side who produced arguably the best display by an English club this week as they drew 1-1 at home with Barcelona.
Reigning champions Liverpool, whose 1-0 loss at Galatasaray on Tuesday began the dismal set of results for English clubs, are in danger of finishing outside the top five.
Although they will be confident of getting back to winning ways against a Tottenham Hotspur side who lurch from one crisis to the next and who are in serious danger of relegation for the first time since 1977.
Tottenham lost 5-2 at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, gifting away three goals in the opening 15 minutes as interim manager Igor Tudor’s reign went from bad to worse with defender Micky van de Ven fearing a ‘doomsday scenario’.
The Croatian has lost all four of his games in charge since replacing Thomas Frank and a bad defeat at Liverpool for 16th-placed Tottenham could force the club’s hierarchy to act before it’s too late.