Thierry Henry’s advice may have backfired to hurt Arsenal’s Premier League title chances

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Thierry Henry wouldn’t have been surprised by what unfolded in Manchester City’s win over Liverpool.

Man City put pressure on Arsenal in the title race by beating Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola’s side narrowed the Gunners’ lead at the top of the Premier League table after Arsenal drew 2-2 with Sunderland.

Before the game, Guardiola had urged his team not to think about Arsenal; however, one of his players would’ve had a North London legend on his mind.

After it was revealed that Thierry Henry had been giving Jeremy Doku advice on how to improve, the winger went and dismantled Liverpool, a performance that the Gunners will be wary of.

• READ MORE: Gary Neville says there’s something ‘interesting’ about the title race that Arsenal won’t want

Jeremy Doku’s performance against Liverpool showed that Thierry Henry’s advice is paying off

Before the match kicked off at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon, Erling Haaland was thought to be Arsenal’s biggest threat in the title race.

It’s now become clear that while the Norwegian’s goalscoring mastery won’t go away, neither will Man City as a collective, with Doku stealing the headlines.

The Belgian winger made Conor Bradley’s life hell during his 74 minutes on the pitch, completing seven dribbles and drawing four fouls. 

What Arsenal will be wary of is that it wasn’t just Doku’s dribbling ability that gave Man City a boost in the title race, but his output too.

Henry has been aiding the 23-year-old in that department, as the player himself revealed only last week.

“Many people say to me, ‘Jeremy, you need to be more statistics, more statistics’, but how? They don’t tell me how, and he [Henry] really talks to me about how, and that’s the first time, and I appreciate that.”

Doku added to his goal contribution tally against Liverpool, taking his total to four in the league, with his newfound confidence applying the pressure on Arsenal.

Arsenal might not be as worried about Doku after what Pep Guardiola said

Henry has shared messages of support to the Arsenal squad this season, with his loyalty undoubtedly lying with the Gunners, but his words with Doku have clearly made a difference.

Man City are coming alive with Doku and Haaland leading the way, though Arsenal may not need to fret about the player who sought Henry’s advice. 

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	ArsenalArsenal	11	8	2	1	20	5	15	26
2	Manchester CityManchester City	11	7	1	3	23	8	15	22
3	ChelseaChelsea	11	6	2	3	21	11	10	20
4	SunderlandSunderland	11	5	4	2	14	10	4	19

After the win, Guardiola shared an interesting assessment of his player, downplaying his ability to score consistently.

“I think he will never be a top scorer, to be honest, but he’s demanding himself to be better, he listens, and has special attributes of dribbling,” Guardiola told the media.

Has Henry’s advice done enough to change Doku’s outlook? Only time will tell, but Arsenal will certainly hope not with the Premier League title race in mind.