Arsenal fans are getting nervous – their painful history could repeat itself
Matz Sels’ exploits and some poor finishing left Arsenal irritated, forced to settle for a 0-0 draw at the home of Nottingham Forest.
Sound familiar?
It summarizes the events of last Saturday night but, equally, it could apply to the Gunners’ final visit to the City Ground in February 2025.
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That night, the scoreline seemed less significant for their Premier League efforts; the dropped points extended the gap between Arsenal and leaders Liverpool to 13 and most fans had long accepted that the ‘race’ for the title was over.
Arsenal must not let the pain of their recent history derail their Premier League title dreams
There’s no reason to be pessimistic now – one could even present the result as positive, as defeat in the Manchester derby means Manchester City lost ground to Mikel Arteta’s men in the end.
But no Gooner can shake the fear that this is a missed opportunity or, indeed, that dark history is about to repeat itself.
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While a seven-point lead is still quite large, it’s not enough to give you peace of mind when being ‘hounded’ by a team as relentless as Man City – Arsenal found that out the hard way in 2022/23 (then also squandering a seven-point lead and finishing second).
And it could have been just nine points, they failed to find their way past a Forest side who had tasted defeat in four of their previous five league matches, a form which has left them hovering one place above the relegation zone.
It may not be the same City group; three draws and a defeat in their last four league matches – at a point in the campaign when they are usually already on a late-season gallop – indicate that it is not the City of old who are hunting down the Gunners on this occasion (also remember how they failed to achieve this last year too, leaving Pep Guardiola without a trophy for the first time since his first season at the club).
Yet results like the 0-0 at Forest stoke angst among a long-suffering fan base and raise questions about whether this Arsenal team, bearing the scars of previous defeats, has the mental fortitude to cross the finish line in May – that worry only grows with every check Guardiola writes.
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So, as fans, we don’t need to go into full panic mode, but what we’ve seen so far is a familiar story that has never ended with a happy ending before; this is the best chance Arsenal will ever have to set the record straight.
History must not repeat itself.
This article was originally published on www.paininthearsenal.com as Arsenal fans grow nervous – their painful history could repeat itself.