Agree. It indicated that Man City is no longer as strong as the last season. They could lose some points in few matches, they played in the match with average stats. For Liverpool, they have a problem with injury problem. Some players got injury for a long time, that sometimes make Jurgen Klopp to use substituted players. Luckily, Liverpool has a big squad, they have many talented players. I don't see a problem with the quality of Liverpool players. If you look at the last few matches, Liverpool players showed great performances.
Arsenal still has the same problem, they sometimes get difficulty to maintain good performance. They are still playing inconsistently in few matches.
Yeah we are still waiting for Arsenal in several important matches so far Arsenal is the most consistent team in the Premier League with 8 consecutive wins, the question is whether Arsenal can do it until the end of the season? as you said maybe Arsenal want to prove that they are currently with a different squad and don't want to miss any opportunity like last season. Anyway, the match on March 31 will be a determinant if Arsenal want to prove something then they have to defeat Manchester City.
Manchester City as a home team certainly does not want to lose points and don't want to lose the opportunity to win the title they will make every effort to get closer by playing all the mainstay players especially Manchester City as a favorite team as the winner based on bookies predictions. What is clear is that this fight will be interesting and we want to know who will win.
This season, Liverpool and Arsenal played very well, which is why it is difficult for the defending champion, Man City. Making the tournament even more dramatic. As we can see, Man City is currently the strongest team, Man City is less strong than last season because this year their pillars have been injured for a long time. And now, things are different; in this phase, their mainstays have all recovered, and this is their sprint phase.
Eliminated from the FA Cup, Liverpool still has a chance to win titles in the Premier League and Europa League. At the Premier League playground, Liverpool can return to the top when Arsenal clashes with Man City in the next round. They are still considered the number 1 candidate for the Europa League championship this season.
Regarding the Arsenal team, as you said, they have difficulty maintaining their form. If they win against Man City, they will prove their bravery. But it is challenging to do that at Etihad Stadium.