Why Arsenal hold an obvious Premier League title advantage over Man City even after Anfield slip-up
Jamie Carragher believes Pep Guardiola’s desire to win a treble could impact Manchester City’s title battle with Arsenal. Following City’s dominant victory over Southampton, the Gunners were only able to earn a draw at Anfield against Liverpool, resulting in a six-point gap between the two title contenders.
With a game in hand, which will soon become two, and Arsenal still to visit the Etihad Stadium, many believe the title is now in the hands of the defending champions, despite maintaining a substantial lead.
This match is scheduled for Wednesday, April 26, and although this date is less than two weeks away, City will play four times in three different competitions prior to this date.
Mikel Arteta must prepare his team for two Premier League games against West Ham and Southampton.
The FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United is also on the horizon for City, and while Guardiola has a large squad available to him, eight games in April will still be taxing. Jamie Carragher anticipates that Guardiola will recognize this, which will likely necessitate alterations to his preferred starting eleven, which could impact a number of league matches.
“We keep talking about the title; City can do the treble,” Carragher said during Sky Sports’ Super Sunday coverage. “There’s a great chance they’ll win the FA Cup final, and they’re favourites for the Champions League.
“I think on the run-in, if they keep going, there will be one or two games that Pep Guardiola has got to think about winning the treble, and he’ll have to take a chance in a couple of league games with the team he picks.
“It might not be his best team, but he has to think he has to go with it because he’s got a game midweek, and the bigger picture is always more important than just a one-off league game.”
Gary Neville, Carragher’s co-commentator, has also provided his latest analysis of Liverpool’s draw against Arsenal. The Manchester United legend has remained steadfast in his belief that City will win the league, and he expressed the same opinion on his Sky Sports podcast.
“This game [Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool] was absolutely wonderful and we’ve got six more weeks left of this [title race],” he said. “I have thought all the way through that Man City would just edge it.
“I haven’t changed my opinion after today or even altered it slightly because I still think there will be points dropped from each side, but I think Arsenal will drop more points.
“They go to Man City, Newcastle, West Ham, they’re all difficult games. City have got some difficult ones too and there will be a lot more moments where Arsenal feel like the whole world is watching them.
“The whole football world was watching them today and they weren’t disappointed. They made a few mistakes but all in all Arsenal fans should be pretty happy and proud with that. This is not a time to lose doubt, you can lose or draw here in any season. This is a terror of a game to have in a title run-in.”
Why Arsenal hold an obvious Premier League title advantage over Man City even after Anfield slip-up
