The day is upon us. It's Arsenal against Manchester City for a potentially thrilling title finale. Will there be a Sergio Aguero moment again? Will the Citizens fall 2-0 down as they did against Aston Villa a few years ago, only to mount a remarkable comeback?
Pep Guardiola will no doubt hope for a rather more straightforward day but Mikel Arteta will pray some late drama can take his team across the line.
Whatever happens, supporters inside the Emirates Stadium can be incredibly proud of the club's achievements this season. They may end the campaign without a trophy but to take this City team to the final day is remarkable.
Once all is said and done, they could end the 2023/24 term with 89 points and still lose out. What more can you do at that stage?
Arsenal have had their wobbles this term but to look back at certain games and wonder what if will only cause you to have a meltdown. It's better just to reflect on the good times.
Team
Played
W
D
L
GD
PTS
1. Man City
37
27
7
3
60
88
2. Arsenal
37
27
5
5
61
86
So, what does need to happen for the Gunners to win the crown?
How Arsenal can win the league
Well, they will need a miracle today, there's no two ways about it. Though, stranger things have happened, right?
First and foremost, Arsenal need to beat Everton today. They come into the final day of the season two points behind City and with a superior goal difference. So, all Arteta's men can do is grab the three points and hope.
If City draw or lose to West Ham at the Etihad and Arsenal win, the Londoners will take home the trophy. If City win, there is nothing that can be done to stop them.
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ByStephan Georgiou The starting lineup to help Arsenal win the title
So, it'll probably largely be business as usual for Arsenal. David Raya will start in goal, just days after being handed the Golden Glove award while a familiar front line of Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard will likely be given the nod to help unlock a stern Everton defence.
In midfield, there could be a change if Arteta prefers the extra security of Jorginho over Thomas Partey but it's a certainty that Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard lineup alongside each other.
Ben White, Gabriel and William Saliba are shoo-ins to begin in defence but there may well be a shift around at left-back on a day where Arsenal will need all the possession they can get.
One of the few positions on the pitch that Arteta has found troubling this term is at left full-back. Jurrien Timber started there on the opening day before his devastating ACL injury before Oleksandr Zinchenko quickly took on the role.
However, he hasn't always been preferred this term. Jakub Kiwior had an impressive run in the team at the beginning of 2024, notably supplying three assists and scoring once across five league matches in February and early March.
Though, of late it's been Takehiro Tomiyasu who has been preferred on the left-hand side of defence, starting the last four league games. Arteta has trusted him when Arsenal needed a settled team during the run-in so it's likely the Japanese defender will play from the off again.
However, if the Spaniard wants an expert in the inverted role to feature today then Zinchenko is his man. The Ukrainian is a wonderful player on his day but the fact of the matter is that, as one Arsenal podcaster branded him, he can be a defensive "liability".
Also criticised for an "appalling" display by writer Oli Price Bates in the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, perhaps it might not be such a wise idea to play Zinchenko in a game of this magnitude.
Well, it's likely Everton won't have much of the ball so this may be the perfect game. After all, the former Man City man is a far better passer of the ball than his positional peers.
Pass success %
87.7%
81.8%
83.7%
Key passes
1.49
0.42
0.57
Final 3rd passes
7.93
4.49
4.10
Progressive passes
11.7
5.42
5.24
Shot-creating actions
3.36
1.27
1.24
So, when it comes to the key passing statistics, the £150k-per-week earner is far and away the best man. Arsenal need to keep the ball, they need to create opportunities to score and they need to win.
All being well, Sean Dyche's side shouldn't see too much of the ball in their final third which is where the club's no.35 struggles. Therefore, starting him today does have an element of sense to it.
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