Arsenal: What is behind the Gunners' recent slump and how does Mikel Arteta stop his team from 'bottling' the Premier League?
Arsenal have lost three games in their last four having lost just three of their previous 49; after talk of the quadruple, Arsenal's trophy chances are under threat - so what now?; watch Man City vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports' Super Sunday this weekend, kick-off 4.30pm
Monday 13 April 2026 15:12, UK
The Premier League title race has brought up many iconic images down the years. Steven Gerrard's slip and Kevin Keegan slumped over the Anfield hoardings to name just two.
So what will the final significance of one Manchester City fan drinking from an Arsenal bottle in the Stamford Bridge away end be, with the momentum of the title race swinging?
Such is the current ominousness of the title race, a City fan chose to mock Arsenal with his team six points behind in the chase. There is not just a script being followed, but history is threatening to repeat itself.
This is the time of the season when Manchester City hit top gear, while Arsenal tend to 'bottle' it. April is the only month of the season where Arsenal's win percentage drops below 50 per cent under Mikel Arteta, while City have not lost a game in this month for five years.
- Neville: Arsenal need to balance their emotions
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Arsenal are freezing in the face of being champions. After just three defeats in their first 49 games of the season, they have doubled their number of losses in the last four games.
So what is behind Arsenal's recent slump - and how does Arteta stop the rot?
The tactic Arsenal are struggling with
Firstly, Arsenal froze on the pitch - and there is a tactical element to the Gunners coming unstuck in recent weeks.
One statistic that emerged from the ashes of the defeat to Bournemouth was how Arsenal's players passed the ball back to David Raya 38 times during the 95 minutes. Arsenal really struggled with Bournemouth's press - but it's a problem that's faced them before.
Andoni Iraola lined up with a four-man press when Arsenal were building up from the back, letting Raya have the ball and completely shutting off the middle of the pitch.
By stopping the passing lanes out to Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, Arsenal then had two options when their goalkeeper had the ball. Play out to a centre-back and get forced into a corner, or go long.
Both give the opposition a chance of winning the ball back. When Arsenal did find Zubimendi and Rice through the lines, the Arsenal pair gave the ball away 29 times. When they go long, they give Bournemouth a 50:50 chance of winning the ball back.
As a result, Bournemouth's two goals came from Arsenal mistakes. A shaky Martin Zubimendi's poor pass out led to the throw-in which led to Bournemouth's opener. And in the second half, Gabriel's hurried clearance out under pressure led to Alex Scott's winner.
The four-man press is a tactic Arsenal have faced very recently. Manchester City played the same approach in the Carabao Cup final, with this tactic resulting in Pep Guardiola's side dominating the second half in the same way Bournemouth did at the Emirates - by stopping Arsenal's ability to play out.
Arteta had weeks to overcome this tactical problem over the international break and hasn't come up with the answer yet. He needs it quickly, because a reunion with Guardiola's City is coming this Sunday.
It forces a bigger question of Arteta's tactical astuteness, whether he can change a tactical narrative.
Look at Guardiola and City, who have turned Nico O'Reilly into a goalscoring machine just at the right time. We've seen this before with another defender in Josko Gvardiol, who hit goalscoring form in time to win City the title two seasons ago.
What sits in Arteta's tactical corner, with the pressure now on? The Bournemouth game still revealed a reliance on set pieces for overall attacking play - an open play xG of 0.19 against the Cherries is a tough ask.
There is also a doubt about how Arteta has managed his squad this season, particularly in the form of Zubimendi. The Spanish midfielder looks a shadow of the player who was so influential at the start of the season - now he looks exhausted.
Zubimendi has played more minutes than any other Arsenal outfield player this season, playing 3,751 minutes - over 100 minutes more than the next best in Rice. Meanwhile, Christian Norgaard has played just 995 minutes this term - and is yet to start a Premier League game for Arsenal all season.
Could Arteta have rotated both of his key midfielders more? Rice's load has been put under strain because of an injury to his back-up in Mikel Merino.
But Arsenal's midfield has been overloaded with minutes, now it's also being overloaded with pressing opposition.
Is Arteta helping himself with his comments?
But could there be a deeper issue to Arsenal's play? As Guardiola told reporters after his Man City team beat Chelsea on Sunday: "It is the mindset, not the tactics."
A worrying trend has emerged regarding Arteta and it comes even before Arsenal have kicked a ball. Before the game against Bournemouth, the Arsenal manager gave a rallying cry to his supporters to get up for the early Saturday kick-off.
"So get up early, have an early breakfast, bring your lunch, bring your dinner, and let's all go together for it because it has to be a big day," he said. It's not the first time he's done it.
Before Arsenal's Champions League semi-final with Paris Saint-Germain, he told his supporters to "bring your boots, bring your shinpads." And in January of this year, before Arsenal's Premier League game with reigning champions Liverpool, he called on all the fans to get in before 8pm for an 8.15pm kick-off.
But in all three matches - Bournemouth, PSG and Liverpool - Arsenal's team did not turn up. They did not manage to score a goal from open play in any of them. The 'big day' Arteta asked for did not arrive, perhaps that message did not get across to his team.
Arteta's justification for such outbursts will be honest and innocent - it was a rallying cry to the fans, and a desire to maximise every possible advantage in Arsenal's favour.
But that cry simply added to the noise - and to the tension. You can understand a desire to raise the volume against Liverpool and PSG, but Bournemouth at home? Arsenal want that game to be a routine win, and they are capable of it, without any further stress.
Banging a drum that didn't need to be played was a mistake - especially for a team who already have an anxiety hurdle of trying to get over the line.
"Arsenal losing on Saturday isn't because they don't want it - it's because they want it too much and their legs have started to get heavy," said Gary Neville after the weekend action.
"You're going for your first title, you start to become consumed, and it's the mentally emotional drain that means your legs physically appear tired.
"That's a bit of what we saw against Bournemouth - the expectation of 'we're going to win this match, we're going to win a title, and we're desperate to do it. We want to be the first to win it in 22 years, and we'll be club legends.'
"They're not saying that themselves, it's the noise around the club, the emotion in the stadium, the expectation, the fact they've not done it in the last two or three years when they've been in this position."
Arteta's restless, jittery nature extended to his team during Saturday's defeat to Bournemouth. It was seen in his triple substitution in the 53rd minute - where he took of all the players behind Viktor Gyokeres for three new options - including 16-year-old Max Dowman.
Perhaps a calmer head would have kept one of the pacey Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli on the pitch given Bournemouth persisted with a very high line. Dowman and Leandro Trossard are both players who enjoy the ball to feet.
And when Arsenal don't win - or even perform to their potential - Arteta's rallying cry comes across as hypocritical.
Can Arsenal get injured players back?
How Arteta fixes Arsenal's current predicament is both in and out of his control. The tactical tweaks needed to overcome City are evident - but they also depend on players returning.
Against Bournemouth, Arsenal were without Jurrien Timber, Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard, with Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie only fit enough for the bench.
At least four of them are guaranteed starters, and bring clarity in situations such as building play out the back, which Arsenal are struggling in.
It further raises the point that Arsenal are in a very good situation given their injury predicament.
Before the March international break, no Premier League team suffered more injuries this season than the Gunners. If you look at the eight most injury-hit teams, the vast majority of them are underachieving. Arsenal, Leeds and Aston Villa are the exceptions.
While Arsenal's last four matches have seen standards slip, Arteta's side must remember what has brought them into the position they are in for most of the season.
The form going into the Man City match has not defined Arsenal's entire season up until now. But the game on Sunday will help.
