Arsenal imploding now will lead to years of misery and regret

Arsenal were in cruise control following goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie. With 56 minutes on the clock, they looked set to go seven points clear at the summit with 11 games to go.

But Wolves didn’t read the script, with Rob Edwards’ men battling their way to a draw following efforts from Hugo Bueno and Tom Edozie.

It is a damaging result for Mikel Arteta and his players. Title-winning sides usually leave these fixtures with all three points, rather than just the one. They rise rather than fall and, not for the first time, the Gunners are being labelled as ‘bottlers’ by rival suppoters on social media.

If City win all their games between now and the end of the season, something that isn’t unfeasible given how Guardiola’s men historically cope with such tense scenarios, then the title will be theirs. April’s clash between both teams already has the makings of a classic and will, most likely, be the most-significant fixture of the campaign.

Arsenal have, in recent years, pushed hard for the crown. They missed out on two titles to City, having previously led, while they were second-best to Liverpool last term as well. Arteta has got them close but English football’s ultimate trophy has continued to evade them. It feels like now or never.

Should history repeat itself, and the Gunners end up missing out on title glory once more, misery and regret could haunt them for years to come.

This summer is already shaping up to be a significant one. A number of Arsenal’s rivals are poised to appoint new managers, which could usher in a new era for the Premier League.

City themselves could do exactly that. Guardiola looks up for the fight but there have been murmerings, and whispers, that his glittering stint at the Etihad is finally drawing to a close. That one of the greatest managers in Premier League history will finally depart and leave his empire behind for a new man to rule.

City have been preparing for Guardiola’s departure. Enzo Maresca, sacked by Chelsea in January, informed the Blues that he’d held talks over a return to the Etihad – having previously worked as one of Guardiola’s assistants.

Guardiola, for all his genius, has also cut a far more combative figure this term. There is a sense that, like during his time at Barcelona, he’s starting to run out of steam. When the Spaniard feels exhausted, he normally walks away.

That City have talked with Maresca is telling. They are actively preparing for life without Guardiola. Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabregas are also believed to be under consideration.

A new era will, one way or another, commence at Manchester United, too. Michael Carrick has picked the fallen giants up off the floor following the chaos of the Ruben Amorim era and if they secure Champions League football, they’ll have the riches to compete with the very best.

Carrick is the frontrunner for that job but the Red Devils are keeping their options open. Julian Nagelsmann and Roberto De Zerbi appear to be frontrunners at the current moment in time. All three men, armed with a big budget and with supporters back on-side, could end up steering the club to the heights of old.

Liverpool might also be on the lookout for a new coach. Arne Slot has found his second season far tougher than his first, with the Reds currently looking likely to miss out on Champions League football, having dominated the top-flight last term.

Alonso is being linked and a blockbuster return to Anfield, where he won the Champions League and FA Cup as a player, could be on the cards. Though he struggled at Real Madrid, his work at Bayer Leverkusen enhances his credentials. Dominating German football, in a league where Bayern Munich so often do, is no small feat.

Then there’s Tottenham. While relegation candidates for now, the expected return of Mauricio Pochettino could change everything. The Argentine worked wonders at Spurs in the 2010s, with the north London side regularly competing at the top while also making the Champions League final in 2019.

Pochettino would be returning as a far more experienced manager, having held jobs with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and the United States since his shock exit seven years ago.

Arsenal’s rivals will only get stronger. Under Arteta, however, their own fear is holding them back.

It has done so in the past and could do again. Missing out on the title, and finishing runners-up for the fourth year in a row, would be nothing short of a catastrophe.

The pain, ultimately, might never end while the Spaniard is at the helm. Whether the Wolves draw is a blip, or the start of a more calamitous collapse, is something only time will tell.