Reasons Manchester City can still stop Arsenal from winning the league

The Gunners have been the surprise package of this term and we must admit that they can win the title if they continue to perform this well until the end of the campaign.
The Gunners have won games against teams that give them trouble in the past and have at least nine wins against London sides in the Premier League this term.
This remarkable run of form is the reason they sit 8 points clear of Manchester City, with nine games left in the season, although City has played a game less.
When Arteta wanted to learn the trade of management, he became Pep Guardiola's assistant manager at the Etihad. This decision meant he was being groomed by one of the best in the business.
Pep knew how good the former midfielder was and was very reluctant to allow him to move to Arsenal midway through the 2019/2020 season.
However, Arteta has Arsenal in his blood and was not going to miss a chance to return to the club he played for before retiring.
The decision to take the Arsenal hot-seat seemed to have come too early, but the Gunners have been patient with Arteta and he might repay that faith by winning the league this season.
It has been almost two decades since Arsenal were crowned league champions last and fans have seen their side suffer from mediocrity.
They last played in the Champions League in 2017, so no one thought Arsenal could challenge for the title this term.
This makes their form at the top of the league standings even more impressive, and the Londoners deserve their spot in the league.
However, coming up against City for the title is tough, and many football fans still do not believe Arsenal can win the title.
It is not so hard to know why and some fans who buy Arsenal tickets are also not 100 per cent confident the Gunners will be champions. But why are there still doubters?
Winning England's top flight is one of the most recognisable achievements in the world, which is why everyone respects a club like City, which has won it severally.
Talented players can easily win league matches for any club, but to win the title, you need experience and Arsenal does not have it.
In the summer, they signed Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from City, and we can all see the difference they have made on the squad at the Emirates.
However, the current Arsenal team is still littered with players who are experiencing their first-ever title challenge since the start of their careers.
This means they are not equipped enough to stop a force like City.
Most of the current players at City won the Premier League with the Citizens at the end of last season and are mentally prepared to challenge anyone for the title.
At this business end of the season, that experience will be very important because what both clubs need is wins and nothing but wins.
City has spent years competing with Liverpool for the title, with two of their challenges heading to the final day of the season.
When they needed to win ten consecutive games to win the title, they did it, which will also help them this season.
The title run-in is the season's most important time, and the team that wins the most games usually ends the term as champions.
To achieve more victory, it helps if you're not facing tough opponents, and we cannot say that about Arsenal's remaining fixture.
Four of their remaining nine league games of the season are against teams who are either a traditional top-six side or a team currently inside the top four.
Arteta's men will notably face Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United before this season ends.
It is hard to see them win all or even half of these fixtures, and it is one reason Arsenal fans will lose some confidence about their title chances.
On the other hand, City has better fixtures, with their game against Liverpool behind them.
The champions humiliated Liverpool when both clubs met to send a message to Arsenal and their remaining games and not close to the difficulty of the Gunners' matches.
Guardiola's side will face only two of the traditional top-six sides in their remaining ten games of the season.
Five of those fixtures will also come against clubs currently fighting relegation from the Premier League, and City always does well against minnows.
Like in players, when your team is being coached by a manager who has been in the business for a long time and has won the competition before, it makes it much easier for your team to win it again.
This is one reason City is the overwhelming favourite for the title. After all, which current manager in England has been as successful as Guardiola?
The Spanish gaffer has won four Premier League crowns in the last five seasons, with Liverpool's triumph in the 2019/2020 season the only time his side has not won.
Apart from the Premier League, Pep won league titles at Bayern Munich and Barcelona before moving to England.
He has been in this position severally before now and will know how to navigate until the end of the season.
However, Arteta won just a league title as a player and has won just the FA Cup and Community Shield as a manager, which shows the difference between both managers.
Arteta is no match for Pep in this game and if the Arsenal gaffer leads his side to victory at the end of the season despite these limitations, it will be a remarkable achievement.
Arsenal is a team of superstars who have mostly been turned into top players by Arteta.
However, the league leaders still rely on one man to make things happen for them, Bukayo Saka.
The attacker has emerged from their academy to become one of the best players in the world and is almost the only driving force in the current Arsenal team.
Saka has started almost every game they have played this season, underlining his importance to their cause and that might not be a good thing.
Football is a team sport and the clubs that have reached a high level of success and remained there often have to function as a team.
Although Manchester City signed Erling Haaland in the summer, we cannot say they rely on him because their team is filled with stars who can make things happen.
Their win against Liverpool was achieved without an input from Haaland, but Arsenal tends to struggle when Saka does not play.
If he is on the field and has a bad day, it usually also affects them, and the Gunners must end this reliance.
Gabriel Jesus has returned from an injury lay-off and is another man at the Emirates who can make things happen for the Gunners.
However, what they need to beat City to the title is to become a winning machine such that no player is relied on to win games or score goals.
It has to be a collective effort from everyone at the club. This way, the team will function optimally even when a player is missing.
Arsenal has had a superb season and even if they do not win the league, we will not forget the enthralling performances they delivered in some games this season.
This could also set them up to win the league in the next campaign as well.