I would think it would be very difficult to catch Arsenal if we don't take points off them and I think it needs to be all 6.
We can't be reliant on other teams taking points off them as only one team has beaten them this season and that wasn't a true reflection of that game.
Yup with Arsenal being so strong we'll probably need to beat them twice
Suspect we'll also need to win 7 of the 8 fixtures: Spurs twice, Chelsea twice, Liverpool and Newcastle at home and rags and Brighton away. The pessimist in me believes It's already looking a tough ask.
So we'll need to win 9 (maybe 8 and a draw) of 10 matches versus the top teams in league with two of those being against Arsenal. All this with a tired and depleted squad after the World Cup when most of our direct competitors have had majority of their squads enjoying a winter break.
Arsenal have just came through two tough fixtures in Chelse and Wolves away, have no Champions league and are out of cup, I suspect most of us expected them to drop point in last two fixtures but again they never.
They have a tough block of 4 matches from 31st December to 21st January, if they win 2 and draw 1 [7] of those and then pick up wins in their other expected win matches (27 points), they will be on 71 points after 27 matches.
It looks like we could be playing Liverpool at home at start of April 12 points behind Arsenal by then
Arsenal next 14 fixtures
City next 14 fixtures
Turn of the year we play Leeds, Chelsea, Rags and Spurs away
I think it's already looking a very big ask unfortunately :(
Call me a flapper and a pessimist but this doesn't look unrealistic to me