Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has revealed how many points it will take for Arsenal to win the Premier League title amid an intense battle at the top.
Arsenal have made an excellent start to the Premier League and are on the same number of points as champions Manchester City were at this stage last season.
Only four points separate Liverpool in first and Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, with the Gunners trailing the table toppers by a point.
Unlike last season where it was only Mikel Arteta’s side and Man City challenging for the title, up to five teams have a shot at glory this time.
London rivals Tottenham are looking resurgent under Ange Postecoglu, while Aston Villa – managed by former boss Unai Emery – are well within the title conversation and could pull off a great upset come May.
Given that there is no standout team to choose from, Jamie Carragher believes it will be a lower points total than usual to lift the trophy come May.
Jamie Carragher reveals Premier League title points prediction
In his column for the Telegraph, Carragher said: “This could be one of those seasons in which a side wins the league with a points total in the mid-80s.
“In all but three of the last 10 seasons, the tally of the leaders after 16 games was higher than Liverpool’s going into this weekend.”
“There’s some tough games coming up for some of those at the top, with Liverpool and Arsenal going head-to-head next weekend, with clashes against Manchester United and Brighton respectively before then.
“It could make for an enticing race to the top between several teams, which the Premier League has been missing for a while.”
With teams generally underperforming in terms of the points tally, Arsenal have a fantastic opportunity to take charge in the title race if they can piece a run of winning form together over the festive period.
And the Gunners, who are definitely better this season than last, will want to use last season’s collapse as fuel to go one better this time around.
Arsenal’s best chance to win the Premier League
On the back of their treble-winning campaign, Man City have shown their vulnerability so far this season and are currently four points off the pace.
Pep Guardiola’s trophy-winning juggernaut has struggled to match their usual blistering form and such a drop-off has seen several teams enter the title conversation.
With that said, Arsenal need to take advantage of City being out of sorts by taking charge in this title race and allowing the teams behind them to chase.
In the past few seasons, there have been rare moments where Guardiola’s side have looked off the pace, so the Gunners need to catch them while they are cold and seek revenge for last season’s collapse.
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