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Thierry Henry delivers honest verdict on Arsenal title chances amid Man City claim

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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has now had his say on how he thinks his former club will fare in the Premier League title race this season.

As things stand, Arsenal are in the heat of a title race. 

The Gunners are right up at the top end of the table, with league leaders Liverpool and reigning champions Manchester City. This trio now look set to duke it out for the rest of the campaign for the right to be crowned champions.

The Gunners are currently the form team in the top flight of English football. They have won seven league matches on the bounce, most recently destroying Sheffield United by a 6-0 scoreline at Bramall Lane on Monday evening.

The Arsenal defence is currently in a class of its own, and Mikel Arteta’s side are now firing on all cylinders in attack, too. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, and Declan Rice have now all provided at least ten goal contributions each in the Premier League this season.

However, many will still regard the north London club as the underdogs in this title race. Manchester City and Liverpool both have advantages over Arsenal. They have both won the title in recent years, under their current managers, and have plenty of players in their squads who know what it takes to get over the line. 

Guglielmo Vicario Emiliano Martinez Arsenal
Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

Thierry Henry admits Arsenal face tough task in surpassing Manchester City

The Gunners fell agonisingly short in their title bid last season, as they slipped-up during the run-in. They must learn from that experience and use the pain of it fuel them to a more successful end-point this time around.

At the end of March, Arsenal will travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City. This fixture will likely have a huge bearing on the outcome of the title race, and is a major opportunity for the Gunners to show how far they have progressed since last season. A win on the road against Pep Guardiola’s side would send out a stunning statement of intent.

As a club icon, and Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer, Thierry Henry would dearly love to see Arteta’s men triumph this season. Speaking on Sky Sports, the Frenchman has now assessed Arsenal’s title chances. He said, “I have been waiting for us to go there and put a good performance, but it’s not easy to go to the Etihad and do that. So, that’s a defeat – I am not saying we will lose, I’m just saying that if you lose at City it’s not the end of the world…you just don’t want to go there and get outplayed. I’m focusing, I’m like Mikel, I’m focusing on Brentford…we all know where my heart will go. I want Arsenal to win the league, but still City is the team to beat.”

Of course, full focus now does have to be on the upcoming clash with Brentford. That match is just as important as any other, in the context of Arsenal needing to pick up as many points as possible.