Shocking number of days Arsenal have been 1st since Arteta joined – without winning title

It's been a long process

“Trust the process” is a phrase that has been something of a mantra for Arsenal during Arteta's time as boss.

The Spanish coach and the London club have won zero league titles in the process, however.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have spent less time at the top in the same time frame, but have managed to win four titles along the way.

This season, City went top of the table for the first time in 200 days, after the 1-0 win on Wednesday against Burnley.

The advantage to Guardiola’s side was handed on Sunday as they beat Arsenal 2-1 in a game which could prove a title decider come May.

Arsenal's title drought - 22 years and counting

As they pursue a first title since 2004, Arteta‘s side now face another heartbreaking collapse.

The North London side spent 248 days at the top of the table in the 2022-23 season but City won the title with a five points difference.

A season later, they finished the season with 89 points but still wasn’t enough to beat City’s 91.

Arsenal, however, have five games left in which they might overtake City, starting on Saturday with Newcastle.

But compared to Arsenal’s 539 days at the top and not touching silverware, City’s 453 days as leaders in the league have resulted in them winning no less than four titles.

Guardiola praising Arsenal could mean one thing

Shortly after the final whistle on Sunday, Declan Rice was seen passionately telling his teammates “It’s not done” signaling defiance in the title race.

In reference to the now viral clip, Pep Guardiola praised this as a sign of Arsenal's fighting mentality.

“I love that. I love that, that’s why Arsenal is there”, the six-time Premier League winner told Sky Sports.

“I saw it yesterday, and it shows what Declan Rice means. It’s the Arsenal mentality”.

By many, this was seen as the typical Pep “mind games”, in which his praising of teams actually has the opposite intention and effect.

In social media circles, it is now being referred to as the Guardiola “they are so, so good” treatment.

Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone once famously said that Guardiola can “praise in contempt”, in reference to his manner of speech.

Asked whether he felt disrespected by Guardiola, Simeone said: “No. However, often people who have a great vocabulary, who are very intelligent, they can praise you with contempt.”

“But those of us with a little less vocabulary, we are not stupid either”, he added.

Arteta's ‘tall building’ criticised by Arsenal legend

“That’s a tall building now. The building is tall. The building is really tall”.

These were Arsenal legend Thierry Henry's famous words less than a year ago on The Overlap.

The remarks by the former club captain who was last to lift Arsenal the Premier League trophy back in 2004 were in response to Gary Neville's question on Arsenal's process.

“What do you think of the current Arsenal situation of sort of six years now... five, six years without a trophy but they're building and sort of getting better each time”, Neville asked his former rival.

And Henry's comments even caused a split in the Arsenal fanbase, with many on X (formerly Twitter), quite surprisingly to the neutrals, were taking the Spaniard's side instead of the club legend whose statue is located right next to the stadium.

And this was last year, when Arteta and his side didn't let the title slip in the same heartbreaking fashion in which it might happen this year.

This season it could mean the critics will get louder and the patience on Arteta may wear even more thin.