Gary Neville has explained why Arsenal should be feeling the pressure as Manchester City’s crisis continues.
The Premier League champions are in a state of disarray, having lost five consecutive matches. Pep Guardiola’s side were thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham on Saturday, with the City boss admitting his side are “fragile” defensively.
This is an unprecedented run of poor form for Guardiola and leaves City way off the pace in the Premier League title race. Liverpool lead the way by eight points and could increase that to 11 should they beat the champions at Anfield next weekend.
The Gunners, meanwhile, are now only a point behind City, albeit trail Liverpool by some distance too. Still, Mikel Arteta’s side ended their four-game run without a victory by beating Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday.
Neville has backed Arsenal to win the League this season and believes the pressure to capitalise on City’s crisis is on them.
While Liverpool look favourites for the title, Neville argues that the fact Arne Slot’s side were considered relative outsiders before a ball was kicked this season gives them something of a free-hit.
Arsenal, of course, have run City lose in the title race over the past two seasons having emerged as a genuine contender – largely in the place of Liverpool.
Neville believes the north London side will be bitterly disappointed if they cannot be the side who capitalise on a potentially fallow year for City.
“This feels different,” he said of City’s poor run.
“This feels like if you’re Arsenal, if you’re Liverpool – who I think are the two genuine teams that can win the title other than Manchester City – you must not get carried away but feel ‘hang on a minute, there’s no excuses here now’.
“I’m looking more at Arsenal with that statement, really. I think anyone at the start of the season who would have said Arne Slot would come in and do what he’s done, I would have thought ‘No, that’s not quite going to happen.’
“This was Arsenal’s season if it wasn’t going to be City’s. So I think the pressure is really on Arsenal now to step up and go for it. They’ve had a good start with the 3-0 [win over Forest].”
