Arsenal's remaining fixtures could only be described as brutal — a nightmare stretch of games that they had no choice but to fight through.
To put it simply, facing two title contenders and three relegation battlers back-to-back is no joke.
The top teams are all gunning for trophies and European spots, which means everyone wants to bring Arsenal down. Meanwhile, the teams at the bottom are desperate to survive — they'll throw everything, and everyone, at you.
Premier League relegation sides have always been a headache. The reckless tackles, the relentless pressing, the physical duels — it's enough to test anyone's composure.
Add in the pressure of the title race, and every match becomes a gamble — the risk of injuries, dropped points, or even a total collapse looms large.
But Arsenal had no choice. They have to bite down and push through it.
And if that wasn't enough, the Champions League quarter-final draw made things even more interesting.
The final eight teams were: Real Madrid, Dortmund, Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea.
Three Premier League sides, three from La Liga, one from the Bundesliga, one from Ligue 1 — and not a single Serie A club in sight.
When Arsenal drew Dortmund, you could almost hear the collective groan around the club.
No more protection from facing teams in the same league — that rule was gone in the quarterfinals. And so, Arsenal met Dortmund again.
At this point, Arsenal must have been driving the Bundesliga mad.
First, they battled Dortmund in the group stage. Then they took down Bayern in the Round of 16. And now? They're facing Dortmund again in the quarters.
It's like Arsenal's been thrown into a mini-German league within the Champions League — going head-to-head with last season's champions and runners-up.
And Klopp's Dortmund is no easy draw. Even among Europe's elite eight, they're a team nobody wants to face.
But somehow, Arsenal always end up drawing them.
Kai joked later that maybe Wenger or Usmanov should just hire a priest to bless the draw next time — because whatever luck Arsenal had, it clearly wasn't the good kind.
Sure, there are no weak teams left at this stage, but seriously — Bayern and Dortmund, one after the other? That's just cruel.
Still, there's no turning back. Arsenal can only face it head-on.
Kai was starting to hate the Champions League draw system altogether. He thought splitting the bracket into upper and lower halves, like they would in a few years, would at least make it fairer — give clubs more time to prepare instead of being ambushed like this.
That said, Dortmund weren't exactly celebrating either.
In the group stage, they'd already learned how tough Arsenal were. And after Arsenal's impressive win over Bayern, even Klopp had to admit he wasn't fully confident.
As for Dortmund fans — well, they'd just mocked Bayern for losing to Arsenal. And now they were facing Arsenal themselves. If they got knocked out, they'd never live it down.
So, really, this draw wasn't doing either side any favors.
The first leg was set for April 2nd, giving Arsenal about ten days to prepare.
Before that, though, they had a massive league fixture: Manchester City at home on March 29th.
After being dumped out of the Champions League by Barcelona, City had turned all its focus toward the Premier League. They were desperate to reclaim the title.
City, with no European distractions, could pour everything into the league. Arsenal, on the other hand, were fighting on two fronts — the league and the Champions League — and that pressure was starting to show.
The upcoming clash with City was going to be a real test, especially for Kai and Cazorla.
They'd be up against arguably the league's best midfield duo — David Silva and Yaya Touré. Whether Arsenal's pair could withstand that kind of pressure would be crucial.
The whole of England was watching. Every media outlet had their eyes on this one.
Arsenal was top of the table, riding a wave of momentum — but someone needed to stop them, to break their stride.
For City, this was a must-win. They were seven points behind Arsenal. Lose this, and the gap would widen to ten, which would all but end their title hopes.
They couldn't afford to sit back and pray for Arsenal to suddenly collapse and lose three in a row. That's not how champions think.
This game was everything for them.
It wasn't just a title decider — it was being billed as a battle between the new and old guards of Premier League midfields.
Yaya Touré and David Silva — City's heartbeat since 2010, the duo who powered their rise to the top.
And now, Arsenal had Kai and Cazorla.
With Arteta rotating out, the responsibility of running Arsenal's midfield fell to these two. The entire system revolved around them.
They'd become Arsenal's engine — their balance between creativity and control.
Some pundits even called them The Bullet and the Trigger.
Cazorla's incisive dribbling and sudden bursts of acceleration cut through defenses like a bullet, while Kai's composure and rhythm in possession — his ability to dictate tempo — pulled the trigger.
Both Kai and Cazorla have become symbols of the new generation of Premier League midfielders.
Well—maybe not by age, at least not for Cazorla. But in terms of playing style and influence, he's certainly part of the new wave.
Both sides came into this match boasting strong midfields. On one end, there was Yaya Touré with his powerful box-to-box play; on the other, Kai — Arsenal's defensive anchor and engine.
Kai's performances this season spoke for themselves. He was now just two assists away from the Premier League's Silver Boot award for playmaking — an impressive feat for a holding midfielder.
Statistically, Arsenal looked slightly sharper than City in both offense and defense.
But as everyone knows, football isn't played on spreadsheets.
How the game unfolded would depend entirely on the ninety minutes to come.
…
March 29, Emirates Stadium — Arsenal vs Manchester City.
In their previous league encounter, Arsenal had drawn with City away. This time, they were back home, ready for another showdown.
City arrived at full strength, determined to take all three points from North London.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart
Defenders: Clichy, Demichelis, Kompany, Zabaleta
Def. Midfielders: Yaya Touré, Fernandinho
Att. Midfielders: David Silva, Nasri, Navas
Forward: Džeko
From the lineup alone, City's intent was clear — dominate possession and dictate rhythm through their technically gifted midfielders.
But Arsenal wasn't intimidated. They were at home, and if City wanted a midfield battle, they'd get one.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Szczęsny
Defenders: Sagna, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal
Def. Midfielders: Kai, Flamini
Att. Midfielders: Cazorla, Rosický, Wilshere
Forward: Suárez
Both sides were stacked with midfielders comfortable on the ball — it was a tactical mirror match waiting to explode.
Before kickoff, Kai exchanged flags with Kompany at the center circle. Neither said a word, but their eyes said enough.
Both captains knew what this meant — this was a battle of wills, a fight for dominance.
A clash of giants was about to begin.
..
Kick-off.
.
.
.
"Navas! His pass—intercepted by Kai! Brilliant reading of the play there," Martin Taylor called out. "Kai immediately feeds Cazorla—back to Kai—now Rosický—Arsenal taking control early!"
Both teams came out flying, the tempo fierce, the duels uncompromising.
Despite the intensity, the passing was crisp and composed.
"City looks more refined under Pellegrini," Alan Smith noted. "They're not as direct as they used to be — much more patient now in possession."
But Arsenal were more than ready to meet them head-on.
As soon as Kai got the ball, he glanced up and sent a quick pass into Cazorla's feet before darting forward.
Cazorla cushioned the ball delicately with the outside of his boot, flicking it sideways.
Kai had already ghosted past his marker, collecting the return pass and threading it forward to Rosický.
Zabaleta pressed up, but Rosický wasn't staying still — he chipped the ball neatly over Yaya Touré's head, straight into Cazorla's path.
Cazorla didn't even let it drop — twisting mid-air, he swept it across again.
And there was Kai, right on cue, collecting at the edge of the final third.
City's defensive line was suddenly stretched — Rosický and Wilshere's movement had pulled them wide, leaving gaps everywhere.
Up front, Suárez was wrestling with Kompany, both men jostling for space. Kompany tried to read Kai's next move, half-focused on Suárez's run.
Then came the feint.
Suárez broke early, dragging Kompany with him — and just as the City captain turned to adjust, Kai shaped to pass.
"Don't even think about it!" Kompany barked, trying to recover.
But it was too late. Suárez stopped short, and instead, Flamini came surging through from midfield like a bullet. Kai's curling pass sliced through City's back line.
Flamini didn't hesitate — one touch, bang!
The shot rocketed into the roof of the net.
Goal!
The Emirates erupted.
Twenty-one minutes in, Arsenal drew first blood — a move that was pure precision, pure Arsenal.
"Superb finish, but that's all about the build-up," Martin Taylor exclaimed over the roar of the crowd. "Kai's vision, Cazorla's movement — that's top-tier football!"
Alan Smith chuckled. "And that'll sting for Pellegrini. City have worked hard on their passing and control, but the ultimate point of possession isn't to keep it — it's to hurt the opposition. Arsenal just gave them a masterclass in that."
At 1–0, Arsenal had taken control not just of the scoreline, but of the entire tempo of the match.
...
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