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It feels like it\u2019s Arsenal against the world in the title race, with the rest of the Premier League seemingly rooting against Mikel Arteta\u2019s side. But why?<\/p>\n
First things first, Arsenal throwing away the title when they were well clear of Manchester City would undeniably be the outcome with the most intrinsic comedy value for a neutral<\/strong>. Just imagine.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, the footballing purists who decry Arteta\u2019s ever more cautious style of play<\/strong> would prefer to not see those tactics rewarded.<\/p>\n But why would those with an affinity to any of the other 19 Premier League clubs want to see Arsenal overthrown?<\/p>\n We\u2019ve picked out an entirely serious reason why each of Arsenal\u2019s Premier League opponents should want them to bottle it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Villa boss Unai Emery preceded Arteta in the Arsenal dugout, but could only finish fifth in his one full season in charge.<\/p>\n His reputation has since been restored with a Europa League win for Villarreal and, since his return to English football, his work in establishing Villa as regular contenders to finish in the European places.<\/p>\n In the bigger picture, does it make Emery look better if his successor fails to reach the promised land of winning the Premier League with Arsenal?<\/p>\n Maybe, maybe not. A manager can be good enough in one role and not good enough in another. But in theory, if Arsenal\u2019s ceiling is second, it may prove that Emery wasn\u2019t totally out of his depth at the Emirates.<\/p>\n Regardless, now he\u2019s Villa\u2019s and they\u2019re all the more glad for it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Bournemouth were grateful for the services of Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal while on loan from Chelsea, before Arsenal signed him to become their backup goalkeeper.<\/p>\n The Cherries were only borrowing the Spaniard but could rightly feel aggrieved at losing their starter so he could warm a bench and bring further shame upon the good name of Carabao.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth noting that Bournemouth\u2019s recent win over Arsenal<\/strong> represented the league leaders\u2019 first loss for a couple of months. For bragging rights, Bournemouth could say their victory instigated the downfall.<\/p>\n They would also surely be proud to see Antoine Semenyo winning a title with City immediately after his January move.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Brentford were deprived of their captain in the summer when the Arsenal vultures swooped for Christian Norgaard.<\/p>\n The Danish midfielder is yet to start a league game for the Gunners after starting 34 for Brentford last season.<\/p>\n Keith Andrews\u2019 side haven\u2019t necessarily missed him too much while defying the doubters \u2013 and do have City still to play \u2013 but wouldn\u2019t be blamed for any lingering bitterness about losing Norgaard just for him to be used like a spare part.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Fabian Hurzeler was fuming with Arsenal\u2019s approach<\/strong> in their 1-0 win over Brighton last month.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there was only one team who tried to play football today,\u201d the Brighton boss complained, raising complaints over Arsenal\u2019s time-wasting tactics.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Premier League, if the referee allows everything then it\u2019s difficult, then they make their own rules. At the moment I have the feeling Arsenal are doing their own rules, no matter how they are playing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n While Hurzeler did offer the caveat that \u201cif they win the Premier League, no-one will ask how they win the Premier League,\u201d it seems clear that Arsenal\u2019s approach was the antithesis to his own \u2013 even with the German\u2019s subsequent apology<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Burnley look doomed and could well be down by the time they visit Arsenal for their penultimate game of the season. But if not and there\u2019s a faint chance of a great escape, they\u2019ll have an obvious reason to want to cause an upset.<\/p>\n Besides, could there be some add-ons relating to a Premier League title win in the deal that sent James Trafford to City in the summer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n There are reports that Chelsea do not like Arsenal \u2013 although if Arteta wins the title with a load of Stamford Bridge outcasts<\/strong> he might genuinely spend \u00a3427m on Alejandro Garnacho in an obsessive haze.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Palace are the side against whom City have their game in hand, while they will also welcome Arsenal to Selhurst Park on the final day of the season. Burnley are the only other side who still have both title contenders to play.<\/p>\n Palace have sold a player each to City and Arsenal within the past 12 months, with Eberechi Eze ending up at the Emirates and Marc Guehi at the Etihad.<\/p>\n There were joys of becoming a trophy-winning side last summer for Palace thanks to their FA Cup success<\/strong>but they crashed out against Macclesfield in their defence of the trophy.<\/p>\n Arsenal were the team that ended their other domestic cup hope via a penalty shootout in the EFL Cup quarter-final. That and Palace being able to boast about winning a trophy more recently than Arsenal if they fail to win the Premier League or Champions League is reason enough to cheer on City.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Everton were on course for a valuable point against Arsenal recently until falling to goals conceded in the 89th and 97th minute.<\/p>\n Those two dropped points could prove costly in their push for European qualification after a season of progress under David Moyes.<\/p>\n Incidentally, what progress would Everton have made if they\u2019d landed Arteta for themselves in 2019? Their former midfielder was supposedly close to taking the job before Arsenal got him instead<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Everton weren\u2019t too miffed at the time as they ended up with Carlo Ancelotti, but may occasionally wonder what would have happened in a parallel universe where Arteta chose them over Arsenal.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The race for European football is so tight that a Fulham side currently in the bottom half are just three points away from a potential Conference League berth.<\/p>\n If they could claim three points against Arsenal at the start of May, it could ensure they still have something to play for over the last few weeks of the season, rather than merely ambling to their usual mid-table finish.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Leeds\u2019 record against some of the so-called bigger teams this season has been positive. None of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have managed to beat them.<\/p>\n With an aggregate scoreline of 9-0, though, Arsenal are arguably the only team to have completely outclassed Leeds this season \u2013 not once, but twice.<\/p>\n The bond between Erling Haaland and Leeds would also be a reason to sway the Elland Road faithful towards rooting for City in the title race.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The last eight Premier League champions have been: Manchester City, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester City, Manchester City, Manchester City and Liverpool.<\/p>\n The Reds can take pride in being the only team other than City to have won the league in that timeframe of Pep Guardiola dominance.<\/p>\n Liverpool have little to celebrate this season, having failed miserably to defend their title, but it would look better on them to remain the only team to have toppled City.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Can\u2019t think of anything; City would surely stay humble<\/strong> if Arsenal triumphed.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n As City\u2019s local rivals, United wouldn\u2019t exactly be celebrating their noisy neighbours getting their hands on the trophy instead of Arsenal. But their relations with Arsenal haven\u2019t historically been too positive, either.<\/p>\n The unfortunate reality for United is that the sight of City lifting the trophy is one they have got used to in the years since they last did so themselves in 2013.<\/p>\n And yet United have still won the league more recently than Arsenal. Five times, in fact.<\/p>\n Forget the caveat of the title going to City instead; that has to be something for United to cling on to, even if just as a distraction from their own long wait for a league title.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n All that noise on deadline day about Sandro Tonali potentially moving to Arsenal<\/strong> won\u2019t have been taken to too kindly at St. James\u2019 Park, even if it did turn out to be entirely agent-driven.<\/p>\n Nor will the previous efforts of the Arsenal board to fight back against the power of state-owned clubs like Newcastle and City, described as an \u2018ongoing tension\u2019 by The Independent<\/em> in 2024.<\/p>\n Ideologically, Newcastle are more on City\u2019s side than Arsenal\u2019s. What\u2019s more, conceding a 96th-minute winner to Arsenal in September after being 1-0 up with 10 minutes left will have hurt, kickstarting Newcastle\u2019s run of dropping points from winning positions<\/strong> that has haunted them this season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Edu\u2019s hit rate of Forest signings was bleak<\/strong>. His previous job, of course, was at Arsenal. So it was probably their fault that Arnaud Kalimuendo cost \u00a326m.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Having finally returned to the top flight this season after eight years in the wilderness, Sunderland still have not beaten Arsenal in the league since November 2009.<\/p>\n The only current Premier League club they are on a longer win drought against, stretching back to October 2004, are Brighton, but this season is their first in the same league as each other since then.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to be a big team that goes down in flames and suffers relegation \u2013 which Spurs very well might<\/strong> \u2013 then you\u2019d best hope your biggest rivals don\u2019t win the league at the same time.<\/p>\n For obvious reasons, Spurs fans have more reason than anyone else not to want Arsenal to win the league, regardless of whether they stay up themselves or not.<\/p>\n The mutual hatred between the two north London rivals means each will celebrate the other\u2019s shortcomings. Spurs have had barely anything to celebrate this season; Arsenal winning the league would top it all off.<\/p>\n They have bigger things to worry about in terms of the direction their own club is heading, but Spurs supporters would find it impossible not to crack at least a smile at the prospect of an Arsenal capitulation.<\/p>\n And let\u2019s not forget Arsenal\u2019s hijack of the Eze transfer in the summer either. Would things have gone differently for Spurs if they\u2019d signed him instead?<\/p>\n Safe to say Spurs have more than one reason to not want Arsenal to win the league.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Please don\u2019t destroy the Declan Rice trophy meme<\/strong> now. It\u2019s come this far.<\/p>\n WATCH: Declan Rice\u2019s first and last ever trophy won as a professional player. pic.twitter.com\/fML46xE5wk<\/a><\/p>\nAston Villa \u2013 the Emery effect<\/h2>\n
Bournemouth \u2013 Kepa-based revenge<\/h2>\n
Brentford \u2013 Norgaard-based revenge<\/h2>\n
Brighton \u2013 the Hurzeler tears<\/h2>\n
Burnley \u2013 a Trafford windfall<\/h2>\n
Chelsea \u2013 because it\u2019s Arsenal<\/h2>\n
Crystal Palace \u2013 trophy banter<\/h2>\n
Everton \u2013 Arteta rejection<\/h2>\n
Fulham \u2013 another three points<\/h2>\n
Leeds United \u2013 humiliations and Haaland<\/h2>\n
Liverpool \u2013 Pep-beating pride<\/h2>\n
Manchester City \u2013 N\/A<\/h2>\n
Manchester United \u2013 bragging rights<\/h2>\n
Newcastle United \u2013 Tonali payback<\/h2>\n
Nottingham Forest \u2013 Edu ache<\/h2>\n
Sunderland \u2013 the win drought<\/h2>\n
Tottenham Hotspur \u2013 erm\u2026<\/h2>\n
West Ham United \u2013 the meme<\/h2>\n
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