Mikel Arteta and Arsenal weighed down by pressure in Premier League title race with Manchester City

It was Rayan Cherki flicking the ball into the air and volleying a pass through the lines, a moment of playfulness that summarised the contrast between the two title challengers – and signalled that Arsenal are now on the verge of, yes, bottling it.

Arsenal are six points clear at the top of the table and it remains true that if they can beat City on Sunday they will almost certainly have done enough to get over the line. But being present at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge this weekend revealed a profound contrast in the atmosphere of these two clubs. Anyone who was a witness at both could only conclude that Pep Guardiola’s side should be considered heavy favourites to finish on top.

Cherki’s impudent flick captured everything you need to know about the City camp, which looks increasingly relaxed as they elegantly transform into an elite attacking force with Bernardo Silva next to Rodri, releasing Cherki, Antoine Semenyo, and Jeremy Doku in the same team.

Cherki was ridiculous on Sunday, every action a sigh of relief to City fans. But more importantly he was everything Arsenal are not, his 15-minute burst from the start of the second half showing all the flair, self-confidence, and maverick skill that Arsenal, congealing with fear, so badly lack.

The previous day Mikel Arteta’s side had looked more weighed down by the pressure and weighed down by tactical conservatism than ever before. There is no Cherki figure to go against the grain, to accentuate the steady rhythm by improvising against it, despite Arteta surely knowing that the dissenting ten has always been part of the Guardiola philosophy, from Lionel Messi to Kevin de Bruyne.

But Arsenal’s defeat against Bournemouth wasn’t just about personnel or tactics (although leaving out Eberechi Eze and Max Dowman, with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard injured, was a curious decision that backfired spectacularly).

Far more significant, and again in stark contrast to the light and joy of Cherki’s performance, was the absurd level of anxiety bleeding out from sections of the home support. It’s only around 10% of supporters screaming in agony at every single action or inaction, but spread thinly around the Emirates that 10% set the tone.

Sometimes they shout at Ben White for taking too long over an innocuous throw-in in the Arsenal half. Sometimes they scream at the centre-backs to stop passing it around the back. Sometimes they scream at them to slow things down. The combined effect is to leave the players uncertain and, more importantly, liable to ignoring Arteta’s game-plan and giving way to demands to run forward, kick it long, or rush set-pieces.

It is and was borderline absurd. Never before in English football history has a table-topping side played to a crowd of terrified, furious, nerve-shredded supporters. Indeed the atmosphere inside the Emirates is somehow darker, angrier, and more panicked than the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season. Again, it’s a minority, but their behaviour goes beyond reasonable angst and into the realm of unacceptable.

They are making the Emirates unplayable. It will end in heartache, again.

From the outside it might look as though Arsenal are still in control of the title race and capable of staggering over the line at the very least. But with Arteta constantly calling for more fire in the belly and prowling his touchline in visible pain, and with a portion of the fan base screeching in horror every couple of minutes, it feels more likely we are only at the beginning of the implosion.

And all the while Man City, led by Cherki, are a picture of serenity.

Supposedly next weekend’s showdown will be a pressure-cooker of a game. But the Etihad never actually feels like that. The fans, taking their cue from the players, will not feel stressed and nor will they inflict any anxiety onto the team below. Only one side will be fretting. And that means, unless there is an extraordinary mentality shift over the next few days, only one side can win.

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