Everton’s Irish defender Seamus Coleman (left), vies with Arsenal’s English midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain during the English Premier League football match between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on Dec 13. (AFP)

LONDON, Dec 16, (AFP): All-too-familiar questions about courage, backbone and durability surround Arsenal ahead of their trip to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend.Arsenal’s 14-game unbeaten run had lain strong foundations for a determined tilt at the festive fixure list, only for Arsene Wenger’s men to come unstuck in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Everton.Wenger was left to voice time-worn complaints about an opponent’s “physical” approach, after his side shrivelled amid the Goodison Park roar, but Petr Cech is desperate to show Arsenal are no pushovers.Arsenal’s defeat, courtesy of an 86th-minute header by Everton centre-back Ashley Williams, was their first in the league since a slapdash 4-3 loss at home to Liverpool on the season’s opening weekend.Compounding their disappointment, they now trail leaders Chelsea by six points, while all of the teams around them — Liverpool, City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United — won their mid-week matches.If there is a consolation for Arsenal it is that City are by no means firing on all cylinders themselves.Guardiola’s side went four home games without victory in the league prior to Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat of Watford and recently fell to damaging losses against Chelsea (3-1) and Leicester City (4-2).Chelsea secured a 10th straight victory by winning 1-0 at Sunderland and can register 11 successive league wins within the same season for the first time if they win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.Antonio Conte’s side are guaranteed to top the table on Christmas Day, but his players remain on high alert for signs of complacency. Liverpool stole past Arsenal into second place courtesy of a 3-0 win at Middlesbrough and now face the London club’s conquerors, Everton, in a Monday night Merseyside derby.Adam Lallana, who scored twice at the Riverside Stadium, said Liverpool’s display was “not too far off the complete performance”, but revealed manager Jurgen Klopp was not fully satisfied.Sixth-place United visit seventh-place West Bromwich Albion on Saturday buoyed after snatching a 2-1 win at Palace on Wednesday via Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 88th-minute strike.Bottom club Sunderland and struggling Middlesbrough also lie in wait for Jose Mourinho’s men over the festive season, but midfielder Ander Herrera says United can take nothing for granted.StandingsP              W             D              L              GF            GA           PtsChelsea  16             13             1              2              34             11             40Liverpool               16             10             4              2              40             20             34Arsenal  16             10             4              2              37             17             34Man City               16             10             3              3              34             19             33Tottenham              16             8              6              2              27             11             30Man Utd                16             7              6              3              22             17             27West Brom             16             6              5              5              23             19             23Everton  16             6              5              5              21             20             23Southampton          16             5              6              5              14             15             21Bournemouth          16             6              3              7              22             25             21Watford  16             6              3              7              21             28             21Stoke     16             5              5              6              17             22             20Burnley  16             5              2              9              15             26             17Leicester 16             4              4              8              21             27             16West Ham              16             4              4              8              18             31             16Palace    16             4              3              9              28             31             15Middlesbrough        16             3              6              7              13             19             15Swansea 16             3              3              10             20             34             12Hull      16             3              3              10             14             35             12Sunderland             16             3              2              11             14             28             11Note: Standings read as played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against & points.