Thierry Henry believes Arsenal are still in control of the Premier League title race but fears their emotional state will get the better of them.
The Gunners have been in the lead since day one but, heading into the final weeks of the season, have a serious task on their hands to hold off Manchester City. Mikel Arteta's side have let leads slip in their past two outings, dropping four points in the process, which has seen the gap shrink.
The destination of the trophy is likely to be decided by the clash between City and Arsenal at the Etihad next week, with the hosts very much in the ascendancy at present. Henry is concerned by what he's seen in recent weeks, but is hopeful about his former side's chances.
He told CBS Sports : "I don't know when it was that we last won against City, so that's going to be a tough one. The last game didn't reassure me when we played them at home. From the Arsenal point of view, since the beginning of the season, I have been talking about emotions. You don't win a title on emotions - you win cups - because its one game, then one game.
"38 games - you can't be too emotional about it, but you've seen recently how emotional we've been. So far, we were not expected to be there. You still have hope, we're still ahead, Man City still have to win games to get ahead of us. It is still there in front of you, but get rid of the emotional part of the game."
City's impressive recent run continued on Wednesday night as they saw off Bayern Munich in the last eight of the Champions League. Pep Guardiola's side remain on course for the treble with an FA Cup semi-final to come this weekend and Henry admits they look in complete control.
"When you watch City - this is where Arsenal need to get to - they look composed whatever the result is," said the Frenchman. "I just think when I look at Arsenal, sometimes you lose control of the game. We're still ahead, but yes City can catch us."
The Gunners do have some unkind fixtures they need to negotiate, particularly their trip to Newcastle, which comes less than a fortnight after their game in Manchester. City star Bernardo Silva continues to be a crucial figure and confessed the squad are full of optimism.
“[We are] very confident and in a very good moment,” he said. “The best moment of the season for the team. We struggled until the end of February and on the difficult run we had in the past. Winning 10, 15, 20 games in a row and now the team is very consistent in the way we’re playing. We have a chance in every competition and we’re going for that."
