Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has now told Arsenal and Liverpool what they must do to stand a chance of winning the Premier League title.
Gary Neville is convinced that Arsenal and Liverpool need to both beat Manchester City themselves.
As things stand, Liverpool currently lead the way at the top of the table, with reigning champions Manchester City hot on their heels. The Gunners have not played yet in this round of Premier League fixtures, but will have their chance to catch up when they face Sheffield United this evening. Cesc Fabregas has now admitted that there is more pressure on Arsenal, as they are the last of the title-chasing trio to play.
If Mikel Arteta’s side can pick up all three points at Bramall Lane, though, then they will go back to being two points behind Liverpool and just one point behind Manchester City, with all three teams only having eleven games left to play. If they beat the Blades, then the Gunners will also once again boast the best goal difference in the division, which could prove crucial come the end of the campaign.
Manchester City will currently be regarded as favourites to win the title, and for good reason. Pep Guardiola’s side have been crowned champions in five out of the last six seasons. Liverpool will have their chance to take points off of Manchester City themselves, though, when the two clubs meet at Anfield on Sunday. The Gunners will then have an opportunity to do the same thing at the end of March, when they travel to the Etihad Stadium.
Gary Neville sets clear objective for Arsenal and Liverpool
Neville believes that these two fixtures will define this season’s Premier League title race. Speaking on Sky Sports, the former full-back said, “Liverpool have got momentum and energy, and the [Jurgen] Klopp factor on the way. I think Arsenal, at this moment, are the best performing team, both defensively and they’ve now started to hit their stride in attack, and City have got the most experience.”
“They’ve all three got something, but this is where we’re going to find out about all three of them. Can City do it again…can Arsenal do what they didn’t do last year?… I always wanted to see Arsenal in the same sort of position, again, with City, coming here to see how far they’ve developed, I think they have developed.”
“I can’t wait for these next couple of games, because we find out really what these teams are about. Manchester City, that’s the barometer, that’s what they’ve all got to try to knock off their perch…You’ve go to come and beat them. You can’t just say, ‘well, City might drop points at that ground or that ground’, if you’re not going to beat them yourself. You have to beat them if you’re Liverpool and Arsenal.”
Arsenal have already beaten Manchester City in the Premier League this season. Back in October, at the Emirates Stadium, Gabriel Martinelli’s goal gave the Gunners a landmark victory. They now need to go and win on Manchester City’s own patch.
The good news for Arsenal is that the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, amongst others, are all returning from injury at the perfect time to make a difference in the run-in.
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