Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta showing signs of pressure with Liverpool swipe as title race heats up

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The race for the Premier League title is starting to enter a crucial phase.

With every club having played each other once and with 16 games to go, the contenders have shown their faces, with every game becoming more crucial as the campaign develops.

Although Nottingham Forest have been outstanding this season, Liverpool and Arsenal are viewed by most as the two teams that will go head-to-head for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.

Arne Slot’s side are the clear favourites as the Reds currently sit top of the table, six points ahead of Arsenal with a game in hand over the Gunners.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	21	15	5	1	50	20	30	50
2	ArsenalArsenal	22	12	8	2	43	21	22	44
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	22	13	5	4	33	22	11	44
4	ChelseaChelsea	22	11	7	4	44	27	17	40

Arsenal have a lot of work to do to close the gap on Liverpool and the pressure may be getting to their manager Mikel Arteta.

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hoping for a Liverpool collapse

Liverpool were strong title contenders throughout the 2023/24 campaign as everyone on Merseyside club dreamed of the perfect ending to the Jurgen Klopp era.

However, that would not come to be, as the Reds fell away during the final weeks of the season, eventually leading to a third-place finish behind Man City and Arsenal.

Arteta has praised Arne Slot’s Liverpool already this season but the Spanish coach has kept last term in mind as the Arsenal boss looks to remain hopeful regarding their Premier League title chances this season.

Speaking to the press on Friday, Arteta stated that Liverpool “normally” have a difficult spell when asked the question about catching the Reds.

The Arsenal boss said via Arsenal.com: “The margins are really, really small. You can see how things could’ve gone last weekend – the turning points are minimal and the gap certainly looks very different. We have to be at it, we have to do what is in our hands and there’s still a long, long way to go.”

When asked if he believes Liverpool will go through a bad patch, Arteta replied: “They normally do, so we have to be there. That’s for sure.”

This may hint that the pressure is getting to Arteta as the gap to Liverpool is quite large should the Reds win their game in hand against Everton next month, although the remaining fixtures favour the London outfit.

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Key fixtures for Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League title race

Arsenal travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on the weekend of May 10, which could be massive for the title race given the period it falls into on the calendar.

The Reds have some tough challenges in front of them with away trips to Man City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Brighton and Everton still to come.

As for Arsenal, the Gunners face the majority of their tough games at home, which could be a big benefit as the season progresses.

It also depends on how deep both teams go in other competitions with Liverpool still on for a quadruple, while Arteta may not have any domestic cup competitions to worry about come next month.