Arsenal aren't 'bottling' the Premier League title - to suggest so is laughable

So just what has gone on at Arsenal during the past two games? Are they really bottling it? Has the growing shadow of Manchester City in the rear view mirror become too big to ignore? Roy Keane clearly thinks so.

“It’s obviously playing tricks in their heads now and they’re lacking that something,” the Manchester United legend said following Sunday’s 2-2 draw at West Ham. “The word we always use with Man City, and Arsenal are lacking it, is composure.

“Particularly in winning positions, which can happen. They can still go on and win it, they’re in a fantastic position if they just keep their heads and have a bit of composure.

“But again, the question was if they were to finish second, it would be a huge disappointment for Arsenal."

Clearly, everyone is going to have their own opinion as to what happened to Arsenal at Anfield and the London Stadium. But the suggestion that Arteta’s side are bottling anything is laughable. 

Jamie Carragher was excellent in his analysis on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, rightly pointing to how impressively Arsenal started the matches at Liverpool and West Ham.

If a side was feeling the pressure and playing within themselves, they would not have been able to start those games the way they did.

There were no nerves on show when Arsenal toyed with Liverpool and silenced Anfield in that breathtaking opening half an hour. And no-one seemed to be thinking about Manchester City when the visitors sliced West Ham apart with ease early on in east London on Sunday.

Arsenal were playing with the same freedom they have done all season. The difference here was they took their eye off the ball.

It was too easy for them. Instead of going for the kill, they eased off. They got cocky, and in all honesty that is just as bad as bottling it or losing your nerve, whatever you want to call it.

Thomas Partey’s ridiculous attempt to lift the ball over Declan Rice deep inside his own half summed it up perfectly. There was no need to do something like that. It was lazy and Arsenal were punished for it.

“Partey sees him coming,” Carragher said. “We’re talking about a really powerful man - all he has to do there is get his body in the way of Declan Rice and the ball, and Declan Rice is not knocking him off the ball - he’s not.

"I’m convinced that if that game is at 0-0, Partey uses his power, he uses his strength. But the game’s become so easy he tries a trick. You don’t try a trick like this. You shouldn’t even try that in training.

"It’s complacency because the game is so easy.”

You could see how frustrated Arteta was after the draw against West Ham. He knew exactly how costly those two points could prove to be. 

The key thing for Arsenal’s manager now will be trying to shut off all the noise that is swirling around his team and get them focused on Southampton this Friday.

He has shown before that he trusts his players and he will know that they haven’t bottled anything this season. 

They have passed almost every challenge that has come their way, and on the few occasions they have a slight stumble, they have responded impeccably. That’s what has to happen again against the struggling Saints.

Three points against the Premier League’s basement boys is an absolute must ahead of next Wednesday’s trip to the Etihad.

The fact that Arsenal, who no-one gave even the slightest chance of winning the title this season, are leading the juggernaut that is Manchester City with seven games to go is remarkable in itself.

They are on course for a points total in excess of 90 points. In days gone by, that would be more than enough to win the title most seasons.

But that is the challenge they are up against now. That's what City bring to the table. You need to be almost perfect to be crowned champions.

Oleksandr Zinchenko should be back after his groin strain to face Southampton, which will be a massive boost to Arsenal.

Kieran Tierney is a fine left-back, but it’s glaringly obvious how much Arsenal miss Zinchenko when he is not available.

Tierney just isn’t suited to the inverted full-back role that the Ukrainian performs so well in, and Arsenal lose a lot of control in midfield when the four-time Premier League winner is unavailable.

That was evident against West Ham and the issue was amplified by William Saliba’s ongoing absence.

With their ability to progress the ball forward and break the lines with their passing, Zinchenko and Saliba are so crucial to how Arteta’s side build from the back and dominate possession.

With neither player available against West Ham, Arsenal struggled to move the ball quickly after their lightning fast start had been stalled, and that allowed the hosts back into the game.

The last two results have taken away Arsenal’s safety net. Now, there is no real room for error, unless City’s packed fixture schedule starts to slow the seemingly unstoppable momentum they have built up over recent weeks.

But that does not mean the Gunners should be hitting the panic button. They are still in an excellent position to go and make history.

There has been a sense all season that plenty outside the club have just been waiting for them to fail. When they lost against City in February having been held by Brentford and beaten at Everton in the previous two games, the obituaries were already starting to be written.

But how did they respond? With seven straight wins. That’s the sort of mindset Arteta and his staff will be drumming into the players once again this week ahead of Friday's meeting with Southampton.

Arsenal may not have the lead at the top they did a fortnight ago, but they are still there at the summit looking down on everyone else. 

No-one has bottled anything.