Arsenal have suddenly emerged as the overwhelming favourites to lift the Premier League trophy thanks to their marvellous recent form. Mikel Arteta’s men have clinched three consecutive league victories to establish a three-point advantage over their rivals after eight fixtures.
The Gunners’ 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League’s league phase during midweek delivered a powerful statement that they also pose a threat in Europe, where they have a perfect record. However, as we are all too aware, football moves on quickly and Arteta must now redirect his players’ attention to Sunday’s difficult home fixture against Crystal Palace. Here, we take a look at some of the recent discussions surrounding Arsenal and their manager, as their brilliant form leads to greater expectations.
Arteta sack calls ‘ridiculous’
Danny Murphy believes Arsenal will win the Premier League this season. Yet, contrary to other pundits and some supporters who think it would constitute failure if Arteta doesn’t secure a major honour this term, Murphy says it would be “ridiculous” to sack the Spaniard, should they keep up this standard of performance and still miss out on their objectives.
He said on talkSPORT: “I think they will win the Premier League. In the Champions League… PSG, when everyone is fit, they’re on a different level. But I don’t agree that Mikel Arteta has to win something.
“If you get 98 points and lose the title on the final day or lose the Champions League final in extra-time because of a bad refereeing decision you’re not going to get rid of the manager, are you? That would be ridiculous. So I don’t think he has to win something, but he would have to be damn unlucky and be competitive right until the end in both competitions to be forgiven.”
Neville makes bold Gunners prediction
Gary Neville has been vocal in backing Arsenal to win the Premier League this season, having seen the same prediction fall short last term.
The Manchester United icon has been guilty of making sweeping, reactionary remarks when results haven’t favoured the Gunners in recent times, criticising what he considered overly defensive and cautious tactics against Liverpool and Manchester City earlier this season.
But Neville has now declared that their recent results against elite opposition mean they must secure the Premier League trophy from this position.
“They’ve played United away, Man City, Liverpool away. They’ve played nearly everybody already and they’re where they are,” Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast. “It is wrong to say this because it is ridiculous and we’ve all been in title races. If they don’t win it from here… we’ve all predicted Arsenal to win the league right, we know it can go wrong.
“If they don’t win it from where the other teams are and the confident position they’re in now… a lot can change, but they’re in a good place. It feels like the Newcastle game turned the corner.
“It’s not a putting pressure on them statement, they just must be thinking, ‘This is us, this year, we’ve got to win it’. When you can bring in Myles Lewis-Skelly for Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera coming in with no drop off, it’s looking scary.”