Arsenal's April agony continues as their recent form threatens to derail their season, with a Champions League exit and a slip in the title race adding to their woes.

The season is far from over, with the Gunners still well in the hunt for a first league title since 2004, but the defeats of the last week have given fans a very familiar feeling ahead of the run-in.

It certainly isn't the first time the club have stumbled in April and there's a real risk this spring will be no different, despite the obvious strides Arsenal have made under the leadership of Mikel Arteta. The PA news agency helps us take a deeper look at the Gunners' April curse...

A familiar tale unfolds

Mikel Arteta had urged his Arsenal squad to "write our story very differently" in their clash with Bayern Munich and had previously inspired them to channel the spirit of the 2003-04 "Invincibles", who clinched the league title undefeated.

However, the current squad seems to be echoing the post-Invincibles era Arsenal teams that have come agonisingly close to glory, especially reminiscent of last season when they entered April with an eight-point lead.

Despite maintaining this lead with a win over Leeds on April 1, a series of draws and a loss to eventual champions Manchester City saw them finish five points adrift.

April 2022's consecutive losses to Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Southampton were pivotal in Arsenal's failure to secure a Champions League spot.

This term, after triumphing over Brighton, a loss to Aston Villa has left them trailing two points behind Manchester City. This setback came amidst their Bayern Munich encounters, a 2-2 stalemate at home followed by a 1-0 away defeat compounding the pressure to bounce back against Wolves come Saturday.

This is not a new trend for Arsenal - as far back as the 2007-08 season, they finished just four points off the top after winning only one of eight games from February 23 to April 13.

In the 2009-10 season, they took just one point from four games in the run-in, ending their title challenge. In the 2010-11 season, they secured five points from the final six games, finishing fourth.

Despite winning their final five games in the 2013-14 season, it wasn't enough after securing only two points from the previous four. They were top of the league for more days that season than any other team, as was the case last year with a record 248.

The same players are consistently on the pitch

According to the PA news agency, there are concerns within Arsenal about player fatigue. The playing time of the squad paints a clear picture.

Eight of the starting XI from Wednesday night's game - David Raya, Ben White, Gabriel, William Saliba, Declan Rice, captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz - have played over 3,000 minutes in all competitions this season.

These figures don't include stoppage time and already exceed the totals for either of the previous two campaigns, with six league games still to play.

White, Gabriel, Odegaard and Saka have all reached this threshold in each of the last three seasons, with totals exceeding 10,000. Gabriel leads the way with 11,220. His emergence with Brazil means all except White are now regulars for their respective countries.

Gabriel Martinelli could yet add a ninth name to this season's list and Arteta must work out a way to keep his star men fresh and avoid their now traditional springtime slump.

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