Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have had a lot to say about the 2025/26 Premier League title race.
From matchday one, the title race was spoken about, with Arsenal sitting in the driving seat since the campaign kicked off.
Pressure is mounting on Mikel Arteta’s side, as Manchester City are breathing down Arsenal’s neck in second place.
Given that it could be Pep Guardiola’s last season at Man City, there’s a fairytale narrative that’s growing, a story that Arsenal will be eager to ruin.
Do you agree with Paul Merson? Let us know how confident you feel about the title race.
Gary Neville is confident that Arsenal won’t bottle it in the Premier League title race
As Arsenal will sit top of the table on Christmas Day, it looks to be so far, so good for the Gunners, but history won’t tell you that.
It’s been 78 years since Arsenal delivered the league title after sitting top at Christmas, and while that doesn’t fill fans with confidence, Gary Neville thinks things will be different this season.
Arsenal are top at Christmas, how sure are you that history won’t repeat itself?
Neville thinks Arsenal will win the league, and doubled down on his opinion after the Gunners’ win at Everton.
“I think coming out of the new year, I feel like going into February, March, Arsenal will extend their lead, is my honest view,” the pundit said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
“I think they’ll get to five, six points again. I feel it’s their year. I feel that they were always going to get maybe closed down a little bit by City.”
It’s a refreshing view, as while history points to Arsenal missing out on the title, the Gunners’ start to the season could rewrite a new ending to the story.
Neville concluded, “I’m not sure this Arsenal team will bottle it this time.”
Jamie Carragher already predicted Arsenal’s nerves
Neville doesn’t think Arsenal will bottle it, but he has acknowledged that Arteta’s biggest test will come when spring begins to turn to summer.
While the Sky Sports pundit sees the Gunners extending their lead at the top, his sidekick, Jamie Carragher, already predicted that Arsenal will get nervous.
Speaking in October, Carragher suggested that Man City and Liverpool wouldn’t want to be too far behind Arsenal when they inevitably feel the pressure.
What decides the 2025/26 Premier League, Arsenal’s defence or Man City’s attack?
“Arsenal will get nervous in March and April because they haven’t won a league for so long,” Carragher said.
“Liverpool and Manchester City need to make sure they’re not too far out in front where they can’t affect that.”
Liverpool are already 10 points behind Arsenal, which, you’d think, already rules them out of the race.
Man City, on the other hand, are a different story, being two points behind and having experience of beating Arsenal to the title.
Neville doesn’t see Man City repeating history this time around, while Carragher thinks nerves are forecast.
Can Arsenal hold on? The answers will come in the final months of the season.
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