The Gunners have to go through a rough series of matches over the next weeks. December is probably going to make or break Arsenal’s season considering they have to face Chelsea, City and Everton who are their direct adversaries for Premier League Glory. The Blues and the Citizens are second and third. Pellegrini’s side have the best attacking line by far with 40 goals scored up until now and Mourinho’s team has one of the best defensive lines in the Premier League. It is going to be really tough to maintain that 4 point advantage until the end of the first half of the 2013-2014 season. Add to that the fact that Arsenal also have to face Everton who are currently level on points with Liverpool and share the 4th place in the table and you get a really stressfully situation.
According to Metro, City are the ones hoping to surpass Arsenal before New Years’ Eve. They will have the advantage of facing the Gunners after the Champions League game against Napoli which will surely push Wenger’s players to the limit. The Citizens also have the home advantage which could put them three points behind the Emirates side.
Pellegrini will then hope in a draw or a win from Chelsea away at Emirates Stadium which could take City to the top of the Premier League because of their impressive scoring record. If Arsenal manage to hold their own until January and win at least two of the three games against Everton, City and Chelsea, they will surely be favorites to win their first domestic competition in the last 8 years.
While speaking about Arsenal and his team’s chances to catch up with the Gunners, Pellegrini also mentioned former Emirates player, Samir Nasri who has performed very well during the last few matches. According to City’s manager, the Frenchman is a key player which can always make a difference while on the field. The 26 year old attacking midfielder moved to Manchester in 2011 for which he managed 71 appearances and 11 goals which is pretty close to his Arsenal record.