Samir Nasri not suprised by Arsenal ‘Point drop’ in Premier League title race

Samir Nasri acknowledges that he is not shocked by Arsenal’s ‘jitters’ in the fight for the 2022–23 Premier League championship.

Prior to Wednesday night’s title match against Manchester City, the Gunners have gone winless in their last three games.

Arsenal continues to lead the league by five points, but Pep Guardiola’s team still has two games left as they pursue an unprecedented triple.

Prior to the pivotal match at the Etihad, Nasri, who has played for both Arsenal and City, gave his opinion on the title fight.

‘I can’t wait for it, because the winner will have one hand on the title, and the fact that these are two clubs that meant something for my playing career,’ Nasri told L’Équipe.

‘City are reaching the peak of their form at the right moment, with all of their players being available for the run-in, unlike previous years.

‘Meanwhile, Arsenal are slowing down, having been in the lead virtually all season.

‘Sometimes, when you’re so close to your goal but you’re not used to winning, you get the jitters.’

Nasri continued by contrasting the differences between the Gunners and City while remembering his time in north London.
‘I spent three great years at Arsenal, and in the end things didn’t go well with the supporters, but there is no issue with those at the club.

‘When you play at Arsenal, you benefit from real media exposure. I saw it when I went to City. Even when I had a great season in 2013/14, I wasn’t in the limelight that much even though we were champions.

‘I get the feeling it’s the same now – [Bukayo] Saka is doing great in terms of statistics [14 goals, 11 assists in all competitions].

‘But it would be interesting to compare with those of Riyad Mahrez [15 goals, 8 assists] and see whether we’re talking as much about the two players.

‘Maybe that discrepancy is because there are a lot of former Arsenal players in the media!’