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Mikel Arteta has been preaching to Arsenal fans that the Premier League title race is a marathon not a sprint.
Yet after a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw with Wolves that left the Gunners' lead atop the table slimmed to effectively just two points, the quest for an elusive league crown has reached a breaking point.
That's where Arsenal's most hated rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, come in.
As the Gunners search for answers in their hunt for their first Premier League championship since 2004, they are presented with the perfect opportunity for an emotional and impactful turnaround.
In truth, this North London derby couldn't have come at a better time. It is likely their most important meeting with Spurs in the last two decades, one with more to lose, and also more gain than any in recent memory.
MORE: A full roundup of Arsenal team news and injury updates ahead of the match against Tottenham
Arsenal title chase on life support, but far from dead
The Gunners' hunt for the 2025/26 Premier League title has never felt shakier than when Tom Edozie bundled home the awkward equaliser for Wolves at the end of their recent draw.
Arsenal have been the frontrunners for the EPL championship for much of the last four months. Every time they've opened the door, nobody has been there to walk through it.
Yet with just 10 points from their last possible 21, Arsenal have now opened the door wider than before. Manchester City sit five points back with a game in hand, with just a sliver between the two sides with still 12 matches remaining.
Mikel Arteta has used up all the cushion that Arsenal had built with their strong run through December, but they are still in the lead, an important and critical distinction.
The Gunners have one of the softest run-ins of any club this season. Following their upcoming games against Tottenham and Chelsea, Arsenal will finish the year with just one remaining match against the Big Six clubs, being the all-important April 18 match against Man City.
Common opponents over the final eight matches of the season for the two title chasers are Burnley, Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth. That leaves Arsenal with games against Newcastle, West Ham, and Fulham while Man City have Aston Villa, Brentford, and Everton.
Arsenal's current form is miles from that of a title-winner, but they still have it all in front of them.
Arsenal need stars like Bukayo Saka to deliver
The one thing Arsenal has been missing from their title hunt has been a reliable attacking superstar.
Bukayo Saka was meant to be that player. The 24-year-old England winger just sealed a new contract which sees him become one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League.
With his reported new wages "in excess of £300,000 per week," he finds himself amongst the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Bruno Fernandes, all of whom have been reliable performers week-in and week-out. Yet Saka cannot yet count himself amongst those individuals, who have all been key performers in a title-winning season.
Yet Saka just has not been that player this season. Sure, injuries have taken a bit of a toll, but he still has had plenty of chances to be a star. Five goals and five assists in 23 games just isn't enough to propel a team to a title.
Arsenal has been a true team of contributors this season; there's no question that their depth has been an enormous asset. Yet at the end of the day, titles are won by superstars, and right now, there is a lack of stars on Arsenal.
Arsenal fans in awkward position chasing Premier League title
It's hard to remember a time when fans of a club the stature of Arsenal were chasing a domestic title with such nervous tension.
Arsenal have not won a Premier League title since the Invincibles in 2004, that much has been well documented over the last decade. They have also never won a Champions League crown. It has left this current generation of Arsenal supporters with very little to show for their last 20 years of dedication.
Yet because the club is such a behemoth both in England and across Europe, they are expected to, in effect, act like they've been here before.
But they haven't. Not really. All these fans know is disappointment and near misses. They have repeatedly come up short, having finished second in each of the last three years.
That's why the Wolves draw felt like such a gut punch. This is the feeling they're so familiar with — as the craving for silverware ramps up, they are repeatedly fed with letdowns.
This is not to drive in the dagger further, but to explain why they are so uncomfortable in this position. There's no confidence to draw from, only dread.
All of that, however, can change this weekend. This all leads to Sunday's North London derby...
North London derby presents perilous but opportunistic chance
In terms of the Premier League title race, there hasn't been a more meaningful meeting between Arsenal and Tottenham in at least two decades, if not longer.
The last time these two teams met with these kind of stakes, Arsenal clinched their 2003/04 title with a 2-2 draw in late April, but they coughed up a 2-0 lead in that match and had a solid lead that had been inevitable for weeks.
The Gunners also secured a big 3-2 win over Spurs late in the 2023/24 chase, but that still wasn't enough to push them to the title.
This year, this game presents a titanic opportunity, and also a huge potential pitfall. Draw or defeat in this match would give Man City the chance to take an effective lead in the title race, a collapse which would serve as a crushing blow both tangibly and emotionally.
Yet on the opposite end, there is so much to gain.
The best chance for an emotional result against the club's biggest rival would be now, as it would erase much of the recent struggles and catapult the feeling of authority atop the Premier League back to the highs of recent months before the slide.
"The enjoyment comes from moments of suffering as well," Mikel Arteta professed after the disappointing draw with Wolves. "If you believe that you come to any ground in the Premier League and you don’t have to go through tough periods, that’s not the reality, so the enjoyment comes as well from those moments when you’re not at your best. Ok, get through and find out a way to come through that."
Arsenal have suffered much this season, both to their success and their detriment. Some would argue they have inflicted too much self-imposed suffering on themselves to be Premier League champions. To that end, their 58 points through 27 games is the fewest of any Premier League leader at this point in a season since Leicester City 10 years ago.
Victory here, and Arsenal's title race is once again full steam ahead. Anything less, and the train comes off the track. There's really nothing in between at this point.
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