Online Reporter
IF Arsenal fans think this collapse feels familiar, it’s because it is.
April has always proved to be a tough month for the Gunners under Mikel Arteta, and this season looks like it will be no different.
Statistically, April is Arteta’s worst month, with his side managing just a 44 PER CENT win-rate.
That is significantly below the 63.2 per cent win-rate he has averaged across every other month during his stint as Emirates chief.
And it understandably gives Arsenal fans reason to panic when it already feels like things are unravelling.
Defeats to Southampton and Bournemouth have already reared their heads this April, and Arsenal supporters can feel the title slipping out of their grasp.Look back on previous seasons and you will find that April is where things tend to go wrong in N5. The Gunners’ 2022/23 title charge started to falter when they drew against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton in April, before Man City handed them the killer blow with a 4-1 defeat later in the month.
Most fans will remember that Arsenal were near flawless in the late stages of the following season, winning 16 of their last 18 games of the season. But their only defeat in that stretch, a 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa, also came in April and handed City yet another title.
Arsenal’s April issues also cost them a place in the top four during the 2021/22 season.
It’s worth pointing out that those shortcomings have often come at the same time as injuries for Arteta’s side, including the absences of Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino this time round.
But that in itself raises questions about squad rotation and over-reliance on regular starters from Arteta, who has the evidence in front of him from seasons past. It is not just Arsenal’s stumbling April form that is a concern, but also the fact that April tends to be the moment that title rivals Man City hit form.
While April is Arteta’s worst month as manager, it is statistically Pep Guardiola’s best.
The City boss has an incredible 79 PER CENT win-rate in April, nearly double that of Arteta’s.
In fact, Guardiola’s side have won 29 of their last 33 Premier League matches in April, and haven’t lost in the spring month in nearly FIVE YEARS.
Guardiola himself admitted that the sun coming out tends to help his team perform.
Asked what spurred his side to their 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea on Sunday, Guardiola said: “What is the key? The sun. No, no, I’m not joking. The sun. “Manchester never has sun and if the sun was out in November, we’d win the Premier League in January. It’s the sun, honestly. The mood is better.”
Guardiola, then, will be hoping it is beaming sunshine over the Etihad on Sunday when Arsenal come to play.
Win and City can close the gap to just three points, while still holding a game in hand on their title rivals. Lose and Arsenal will pull nine points clear and, despite their recent faltering form, would surely begin a procession to the title — Sun.
Mathew Masinge