Arsenal are continuing to prove the doubters wrong as with each passing game, they inch closer to winning the Premier League title. That's still some 12 fixtures away at this stage though, with the need for some calm heads, conviction and a little bit of luck to go in their favour.
The Gunners sit five points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City, though the latter have one key advantage at this stage of the campaign. That is the fact they have experience in closing out a title challenge, having repeatedly won it by fine margins in recent years.
That was something former Manchester United defender Gary Neville made a point of when predicting the winners, saying on The Overlap: "That’s been my stance from day one [Man City winning the league] with them [Arsenal] not being there before. Manchester City will win this league because when it gets to that last 10 games, you do start to panic a bit.
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"That anxiety kicks in and the pressure builds, you’re playing in the Europa League potentially as well and you’re travelling away from home on a Thursday and you’re coming back playing a league game on a Saturday and everyone is looking at you.
"I do think at that point Arsenal will wilt because they haven’t proven yet to anybody that they can go the distance. I didn’t think Leicester would stay the pace at all, I thought they’d just blow up in the last five games.
"Look, if Arsenal do it, it will be an unbelievable achievement but the reason I take my stance is just because I’ve been around the block."
It's a point many may align themselves towards, but it becomes tougher to back that school of thought if the Gunners continue to prove it wrong. Things have gotten difficult in recent weeks, with a few late victories needed, but they're just managing to keep up the pace.
That experience element was something Fulham boss Marco Silva pointed out ahead of his side's clash with Arsenal this weekend.
He believes that Mikel Arteta and his side are picking it up as they go, saying in his press conference: “We know that we are going to play against one of the better teams in this country, because from the beginning of the season they are at the top of the table, they have been really consistent, playing good football, adapting really well and reacting well when they don't achieve a good result – straightaway comes the reaction.
“A good example was after the defeats against City at home and Everton, two bad results but straightaway after they reacted well and won some important games. They are getting the maturity and the experience to react in the right way and it will be a really tough game for us, but we are going to do our best again to be really tough for Arsenal."
It shows that champions are forged through their experiences, such as the ones the side are currently going through right now. It remains to be seen if City will get the better of them, but Arsenal are continuing to prove people wrong with every week they remain at the top.
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