[Parmy]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

People keep saying City will take it late and Arsenal will fold, but that only works if you pretend every season since 2022–23 has followed the same pattern. That first one did. The 2022–23 run‑in was a collapse: they had the lead, they had the momentum, and when the pressure arrived, they tightened up and fell away. That’s the version of Arsenal people still talk about because it’s the easiest one to remember.

But 2023–24 wasn’t that story at all. The real damage was done between August and December, when the team was still bedding in Havertz, Rice and Raya. Once that settled, from January to May they were almost flawless, winning sixteen of eighteen and playing like a side that would have lifted the trophy in any normal era. That wasn’t a collapse; it was a title charge that simply started too late to catch a machine.

Across the whole of 2024–25 they never managed four straight league wins, drew too many games, and had already picked up four red cards by this stage. This season they’ve had none. They’ve been calmer, more controlled, and they’ve already come through the stretches that usually derail them: a brutal opening run of fixtures, a defensive injury crisis, and the usual December grind. They’re still right in the race after all of that.

And this City side isn’t one of the great ones. By their standards it’s ordinary, the kind Klopp’s Liverpool would be ten points clear of by now. If Arsenal can’t take advantage of this moment, then the criticism will be deserved.

As they all flourish, the old guard of saliba and Gabriel are starting to flounder a bit. That's why I pick city.