"Anything can happen." That's Micah Richards, not as a throwaway pundit line, but as someone who lived through the most chaotic title finish in Premier League history — and knows what dressing room nerves actually look like when a championship is slipping through your fingers.
Arsenal sit two points clear with two games to play. Win both and they're English champions for the first time since 2004. Simple enough on paper. But Richards, speaking to Sky Sports' Kelly Cates after City's 3-0 win over Palace, wasn't there to comfort anyone.
The Agüero warning
Richards was in that City dressing room in May 2012 when Sergio Agüero's 94th-minute goal ripped the title away from Manchester United — who were already celebrating on the Sunderland pitch. He remembers what the tension felt like before a ball was kicked.
"I could feel the tension. Normally, you have leaders in a dressing room where you look to them, and if they're cool, it makes you feel better. At times in a dressing room, it wasn't like that." He looked to Vincent Kompany — normally ice-cold — and Kompany was fidgeting.
That detail matters. These are elite footballers who've won trophies. Nerves don't discriminate based on experience.
"Arsenal are going through that," Richards said. "And there'll be things that they've had along the season where it gets you up, it gets you down. But even with the experienced players that we had, there were always nerves — and that's why if it goes down to the last game of the season, anything can happen."
What Arsenal actually face
On the surface, the Gunners' run-in looks manageable. Burnley — already relegated — come first, then Crystal Palace, who are 15th and have nothing to play for. Arsenal beat both earlier this season, though neither win was comfortable.
City's path is harder. They face Bournemouth, who are chasing a fifth Champions League spot, and Aston Villa, who are doing the same — while also preparing for a Europa League final. Arsenal also have a Champions League final on the horizon, which adds a layer of mental load that no amount of squad rotation fully neutralises.
That fixture complexity matters for anyone weighing up title odds. City need to win both games and hope Arsenal drop points. Arsenal just need to not lose twice. Those aren't the same proposition — but Richards is right that the gap between "should win" and "will win" gets dangerous in a pressure-cooker final week.
"I think it will go down to the last game of the season," he said. On current form, that's not pessimism. That's reading the room.
