'It's better to be chased' - the mentality of a title race

By Michael Emons

This season's Premier League title race is finely poised and set for a thrilling conclusion.

Arsenal, without a championship in 22 years, have nine games to go and hold a five-point lead over Manchester City, who have won the league in six of the past eight campaigns.

City have a game in hand and host the Gunners in April, meaning either team will win the league if they win all their remaining matches.

In 11 of the past 30 seasons, the teams that have been top after 28 matches have not won the Premier League title, with Arsenal failing to do so when leading in both 2023 and 2024.

So who will be feeling under the most pressure? Is it better to be the hunted or the hunter?

"It's better to be chased," said Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer, who won the league with Blackburn in 1994-95, a year after Rovers missed out to Manchester United.

"When you are at the top of the league it's in your hands and if you keep winning your games, as difficult as it is, the teams that are chasing you don't have any answers.

"It does depend on if you have been in that position before. In my second year at Blackburn we were top or second, it was slipping and sliding backwards and forwards. But because we had not been in that situation before and Manchester United were a team that had been successful then it was more difficult for us.

"The season after we were mostly top of the league but United were closing us down. They were saying and doing everything they could, including getting the correct results when we slipped up, and we found it difficult but we managed to find a way."

Steph Houghton won three Women's Super League (WSL) titles, two with Arsenal and one with Manchester City, and has experienced both sides of the championship race.

"The pressure is massive in both situations, but it is nice pressure when you are trying to chase trophies and league titles," said Houghton.

"My preference is always to be the hunted because you have got the points on the board and can take each game as it comes. Even though the pressure is there, it's about performing under pressure."

'You need to create a steely, calm determination'

For Manchester City and boss Pep Guardiola, ending strongly to win a title is nothing new. Two seasons ago they went unbeaten through their last 23 league matches, winning 19 of them, to finish two points clear of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.

City are also used to piling on the pressure before their title rivals play.

On the past 15 times when City have played a day before Arsenal, Guardiola's side have won 11 of them, with three draws and just one loss - a 2-1 defeat by Newcastle in November.

Former Gunners defender Martin Keown, a three-time Premier League winner, thinks how Arsenal, runners-up in each of the past three seasons, cope with the pressure will define their campaign.

"It's normal when you want something so much, sometimes it can get the better of you," said Keown. "But there's plenty of time to learn from it.

"They've not been in this situation where they've been in front too often. It's almost about doing a reset here, which they've talked about in the past. If we were starting the season afresh, you'd just go after your opponent and just finish the job off.

"You also have to trust your team-mates in the moment. You need to try to create a steely, calm determination."

Steve Bruce, who won three Premier League titles with Manchester United in the 1990s, said: "Arsenal have shown remarkable consistency so far.

"Every game, no matter where you play and who you play, it becomes difficult, especially if you're in a title race and especially if you're Arsenal, because they haven't won it in so long.

"What you want at this time is the big players to perform. I was fortunate enough to play in a team where a certain Frenchman came to the fore - we always thought 'Eric [Cantona] will get us out of trouble'."

Joe Hart, a two-time Premier League winner with Manchester City, added: "There will be a lot of questions, a lot of noise on Arsenal - that is life at the top. There is no point in worrying, you have to live in your own world.

"They know what is coming in their rear-view mirror. Arsenal have been in this situation before though, they know what they need to do."

Title race 'takes over your life'

For the next few months, it will be tough for the players of both sides to not be thinking about winning the Premier League - even if they do not admit it publicly.

"We always talked about the title race in the dressing room," added Bruce.

"You sometimes have to wait, because you don't play at the same time. It drives you mad and you watch [your rivals]. There's this nonsense that you don't take any notice of it.

"Now is the real critical point, the big question mark is how you handle the pressure."

Hart said the title race "takes over your life" and added: "It is difficult. Manchester City and Arsenal players will be living in a bubble now - no time to breathe, no time for anything else. It's a great time of the season to be involved in.

"You will never appreciate these days, but you can't enjoy them more at the time because you are involved in them.

"You can't think 'these are the greatest days of my life' because you have to be entirely focused. You wouldn't get that to that level, all you care about is perfection. You want to be the Premier League champion."

Carabao Cup final could give winners momentum

There may be an indication of what will happen in the final two months on 22 March when Arsenal face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, with the winners gaining a potential psychological advantage in the title race.

Keown drew parallels with the 1998-99 season when Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea were involved in a thrilling title battle. United beat Arsenal 2-1 after extra-time in an FA Cup semi-final replay before going on to win the Treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

"We've seen it in the past," said Keown. "I remember being involved in 1999 when Manchester United beat us in that epic FA Cup semi-final, and they went on and won all before them.

"We didn't fall off a cliff by any means, we only lost the league by a point and there was a lot of resolve there. But it could give you that extra energy that finally you've been rewarded as winners.

"This is when the going gets tough and you start to perform."