The Premier League title race has suddenly become very interesting.
Arsenal and Manchester City aren’t just tied on points after 33 games; they have the exact same goal difference as well.
Pep Guardiola’s side, however, have scored three more goals than Arsenal this season, and that’s why they are on top of the Premier League table right now.
The title race could go either way, but Micah Richards thinks there’s a clear winner already – Manchester City.
💭 Predict Arsenal and Man City’s final five results…
Micah Richards shares what people aren’t considering about the Arsenal vs Manchester City title race
Both Arsenal and Manchester City have five games left in the Premier League this season.
On paper, many people think that the Gunners have the easier run-in as none of their remaining fixtures is against teams in the top half of the table.
City, on the other hand, face Everton, Brentford and Bournemouth in their next three games, and all of those teams are fighting to qualify for Europe next season.
That could give Arsenal an advantage in the title race, but Richards feels people are not talking about the psychological side of things.
He said on Sky Sports: “Everyone will go through it and say ‘Arsenal fixtures are a little bit easier than Man City’s’, but no one is taking into consideration the pressure, the psychological battle that goes on within.
“Coming into these (games), it’s why I said, if Man City, in the Arsenal game, stay within three points and come into this game (vs Burnley), and make it equal, I believe Man City will win because of the psychological battle. Because they have leaders and the experience going into it.
“When I look at Arsenal, they have great players, great talents. But I looked at Arsenal at the weekend, and I was thinking ‘Who’s going to turn up for them?’
“They had the chances, big chances, and that’s when you need your big players to turn up. That’s what Man City seem to do more often than not.”
🏆👀 I am feeling __% confident that Arsenal will win the Premier League title this season…
Micah Richards’ point makes sense, but Arsenal still have hope
Richards is right – Manchester City have players and a manager who are used to winning things. They know how to get the job done.
However, the Sky Blues also have players who are new to this, and it may not be as straightforward as in previous years.
Even Opta’s supercomputer believes Arsenal are nearly twice as likely as City to win the league, even though they dropped to second in the table on Wednesday night.
The psychological battle will definitely be key, and Guardiola’s men may well have the edge. However, it is still Arsenal’s title to lose, so they should go all out in the next five games.
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