Liverpool legend makes firm Arsenal title prediction after 5-0 thrashing of Burnley

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Liverpool legend John Barnes has now given his thoughts on the chances that Arsenal stand of being crowned Premier League champions this season.

John Barnes does not believe that Arsenal have what it takes to win this Premier League title race.

Of course, it is hard to argue that the Gunners should be considered favourites. Whilst former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has admitted that he wants to see Arsenal come out on top this season, both Manchester City and Liverpool have more recent title-winning pedigree.

This winning experience gives Manchester City and Liverpool the edge over Arsenal. However, Paul Merson believes that Mikel Arteta’s side’s blistering recent form has amped up the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions. 

As far as John Barnes is concerned, though, the north London club are massive underdogs compared to Manchester City and the Reds, for one key reason.

As quoted by the Daily Mail, Barnes, who made over 400 appearances for the Merseyside outfit in his playing career, winning two league titles, amongst other honours, said, “Liverpool for me are the closest challengers because there are certain games where Liverpool haven’t played well but have got a result.”

“Arsenal have to play well to win and if they don’t play well they may not win, and that is why as much as they’re doing well now I still think it’s between Man City and Liverpool.”

Why Arsenal should still have faith in their title bid

Arsenal are currently on a high, having beaten Burnley 5-0 at Turf Moor last time out. They were certainly at their best on that occasion. However, despite Barnes’ contentions, there have been instances of the Gunners having to grind out positive results this season. For example, Arsenal were not firing on all cylinders when they beat the likes of Brentford and Luton Town before the turn of the year. 

Equally, Liverpool have not always been able to find a way to win this season whilst not performing at their peak level. One recent example of this came when Arsenal themselves beat Jurgen Klopp’s side 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have every reason to be believe that they can pull off something special this season. That is not to say that they will, or should be considered favourites for the title, but they are very much in the race and have the capacity to win it.

Arteta now just needs to ensure that his players are not distracted by goings on at Liverpool and Manchester City. Arsenal must focus on their own job. If they can win consistently between now and the end of the campaign then they will stand an excellent chance of getting their hands on the Premier League title for the first time in 20 years.