ARTETA FEELING PRESSURE AS ARSENAL TRIES TO CHASE TITLE

Mikel Arteta's team lost 3-2 against Manchester United at the Emirates, seemingly as a result of the pressure to end the lengthy wait to win the Premier League. After a three-game losing streak, Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League has dropped from seven to four points, raising concerns about the outcome. What are the causes of their brief decline in the league, then? Sky Sports examines the issues the Gunners are facing as they attempt to cross the finish line and win the championship.

If Arteta and his team are under pressure in January, how will they be in April and May if they are still striving to cross the finish line?

The Gunners suffered their first home loss of the season on Sunday due to jitters, according to Sky Sports' Roy Keane, while former player Patrick Vieira questioned the mindset of his former team. There was a lot of worry at the Emirates, which is certainly natural given that they have blown leads at the top of the Premier League standings in two of the previous three seasons.

Arsenal crumbled against United after a fantastic half-hour. Against Liverpool, the situation was similar, but Arne Slot's team was unable to score. Tension was also evident at Nottingham Forest, and as a result, Arsenal lost the chance to increase their lead at the top of the table to 11 points.

Rather, Man City and Aston Villa are now only four points behind. Whether this is merely a blip or something more dangerous will undoubtedly be revealed in the coming weeks.

Have Arteta and his players learnt from their past mistakes, or are they still afraid of their past unsuccessful title challenges? As the Gunners try to recover swiftly, we'll discover what they really are. Setting goals would help relieve some of that stress!

With important attackers failing to contribute and an excessive reliance on set-piece goals, Arsenal's attack is under close examination. The stats are alarming:

Bukayo Saka - No goals in the last 13 games in all competitions.

Viktor Gyokeres - No non-penalty goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances.

Gabriel Martinelli - No goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances.

Noni Madueke - No goals in his last 25 Premier League appearances.

Leandro Trossard - One goal in his last 11 appearances in all competitions.

Except set-pieces, no one is regularly scoring goals for Arsenal in the league as they continue to struggle with consistency.

Arsenal has the third-lowest percentage of goals scored by forwards in the Premier League this season, and not a single player is among the top 20. The Gunners have not experienced the same problems in the Champions League, in sharp contrast. They have scored 18 goals in seven games, including three against Inter Milan and Bayern Munich and four against Atletico.

So why are Arsenal's attackers having trouble scoring goals in the Premier League?

One argument is that teams attack Arsenal more in the Champions League, giving players like Saka, Odegaard, and Trossard more room. However, many would point to Arteta's alleged safety-first strategy in the Premier League.

With his team still in a strong position at the top of the table, it's difficult to dispute that it hasn't worked for Arteta thus far, but how he finds the ideal balance moving forward may be vital. Martin Odegaard, who was frequently a crucial part of that Arsenal attack, fell short against Manchester United. After just 62 minutes of chasing the game, Arteta hooked his skipper off, something that would have been unimaginable in previous seasons when Odegaard was frequently his team's creative spark.

Nevertheless, Odegaard was a spectator when his team most needed him, despite having only 27 touches throughout his time on the pitch against United.

Vieira responded, "Odegaard is one of the technical leaders of the team, because of his vision, of his last pass," when asked about Odegaard's influence. "I want him to play between the lines, higher. I believe that he occasionally plays it too cautiously and approaches the back four too closely. Those players are what you need closer to the goal.

There would have been no doubt in the past that Odegaard would remain a member of the Arsenal squad. Arteta admires the Norwegian's ability to exert control over his team and has faith in him. But Eberechi Eze now offers an alternative. Fans have been eager to point out on social media that some of Arsenal's most fluid attacking performances have been with the former Crystal Palace star in the No. 10 position, even though Eze has also been far from his best in recent weeks. Eze was in charge of Arsenal's offence throughout the 4-0 victory over Atletico, the victories over Bayern and Inter Milan, and the 4-1 destruction of Spurs in the north London derby.