Gary Neville is convinced that only one team can prevent Arsenal from claiming the Premier League crown this campaign. The Gunners have been delivering outstanding performances recently, securing victory in eight of their 10 league matches this term.
During October, Mikel Arteta’s squad remained unbeaten whilst maintaining clean sheets across all six encounters throughout the month. They extended this commanding form with a 2-0 win away at Burnley on Saturday thanks to strikes from Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice. An away fixture against Slavia Prague awaits in the Champions League on Tuesday before a challenging journey to the Stadium of Light to face an impressive Sunderland side. Here, Express Football brings you all the latest developments emerging from the Emirates Stadium.
Neville’s title race verdict
Neville believes that Liverpool recapturing their previous season’s form is the only obstacle that could derail Arsenal’s title pursuit this time round. Whilst analysing this year’s Premier League challengers on NBC Sports, the former Manchester United defender remained resolute that Arteta’s team have addressed all requirements through their transfer activity and could finally secure that much-desired trophy.
He said: “Look, Arsenal can lose the title from here. I understand why Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal players and even the fans will play down the idea that they have to win it this season.
“But they’re the most consistent team, and they’ve been building up to this now for three or four seasons. I actually tipped them for the title for the past three seasons, and they’ve obviously fallen short. I thought they should have been there last season when Liverpool won it because I thought if Man City dropped off, Arsenal had to be the team to do it.
“There won’t be many people making excuses for Arsenal this season and that’s not me applying pressure to Arsenal, I just think they’re the best team in the league and they’ve got the right squad. It’s only November so it’s crazy to suggest you should win the league from here – but they should and if you’re not Mikel Arteta or an Arsenal player, you can say that quite confidently.”
Emphasising the squad’s depth, Neville added: “The reason I say I’m confident Arsenal will win the league is because you always think about what can stop a team. If Liverpool lost Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah in previous seasons they would be in trouble.
“But I can’t think of any player Arsenal might lose now and it would mean they would lose the title… even the two centre-backs because of the summer signings. Every position is covered. Bukayo Saka was that player in the past but Noni Madueke came in when he was injured. Everywhere, they are properly doubled up with the same level of quality or only a small drop-off. So who’s going to take it off them?
“Arsenal would have to beat themselves not to win it. I don’t think Man City are going to get back to a level they’ve been at previously and come back at Arsenal. Pep Guardiola is a genius but he hasn’t got the players or the team playing at the level needed. Liverpool are the only team but they would have to get back on track very quickly.”
Viktor Gyokeres worry expressed
Micah Richards has raised doubts about Gyokeres’ big-match credentials at Arsenal, questioning whether the Swedish forward can deliver when it matters most on the pitch. So far, the 27-year-old has netted six times in 14 appearances for the Gunners, with two strikes coming in the Champions League.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards revealed his uncertainty over whether Gyokeres possesses the quality to maintain Arsenal’s position at the summit during the crucial final months of the campaign, urging him to step up when required.
He said: “The question is going to be, Gyokeres, can he make the difference in the bigger games? Because right now, he’s doing so well for the team in terms of stretching, but he’s missing a lot of opportunities that maybe could go against him at the end of the season.
“I know they’ve got Kai Havertz to come back, but Gyokeres needs to be the difference against the bigger teams, the later stages of the Champions League, and when it gets really difficult in a league, you’re playing three times a week. If you have a Real Madrid in one week, you have a Man City, or whatever it may be, that needs to be the difference.”
Lineker agreed with Richards’ assessment of Gyokeres, while still expressing optimism that the forward will improve with more experience. He commented: “The criticism that people perhaps would say is that, I don’t want to call him a flat-track bully, that’s a bit unfair, because what he did in Portugal, he didn’t really score many goals against the top teams, and so far his [Premier League] goals have been against Burnley, [Nottingham] Forest and Leeds.
“So I take your point, I think he needs to do in some of the big games, but I think he’s had a reasonable start.”