Just been looking at
the table from four weeks ago, just before the Easter weekend fixtures on 8 and 9 April. Arsenal led us by eight points, though we had a game in hand. The respective goal differences were +45 for us and +43 for them.
Each side has played five league games since then, and we've made up nine points on them - i.e.
we now lead by one, still with a game in hand. Their goal difference has actually regressed by one to +42, trailing us by 15 on that metric. It's a remarkable turnaround, really, and more than we had any right to expect a month ago - especially as we had both legs of a CL tie with Bayern Munich and a FA Cup semi in that period while Arsenal could concentrate on the PL.
It's a cliché that momentum is crucial in sport, but clichés become clichés because they contain a powerful element of truth and momentum really is vital. Here' the momentum is with us and we can afford to draw rather than win in two of our final five games, which gives us something of a buffer.
Of course, you never know in sport and it's far from impossible for Arsenal to win it from here. Let's take comfort in the fact we have one of the best coaches ever, a top group of assistants to back him up and some great players. Collectively, they've nearly all been there before and know what it takes even when there's constant pressure to win tough fixtures.
Personally, I don't hold with analysing what fixtures are left and where each side may or may not drop points. For me, the first principle is to focus on looking after what we can control, which means winning our own games. The second is to take the games one at a time. Hardly ground-breaking stuff, I know, but reading through this thread I see plenty who don't seem able to stick to these principles.
All that matters for now is to beat Leeds. Do that and we do what's in our control, which is to put Arsenal under pressure to keep a decent foothold in the race by winning away to a Newcastle side that's lost one league game at home all season. If we slip up tomorrow, so be it (though I'll be gutted). And if Arsenal manage to do win at St James's Park after what's happened in the last month, then we'll have to say fair play to them. They'll have put a bit of pressure back on us.
Then we have a tough game at Goodison against opponents fighting for their lives between the two legs of the Madrid tie. We've coped with challenges like that before, but let's not think now about what may or may not be a good result against Everton. Before reflecting on that, let's see what we do against Leeds, what Arsenal do on Tyneside and get the match in Madrid out of the way.
TL, DR - Anyone would rather be in our position than theirs, even if it's still no foregone conclusion. However, let's just take it one game at a time and try not to expend stress worrying about other fixtures long before the event.
