Mikel Arteta believes this season’s title race will be more open than in recent years - and Arsenal are right in the mix.
The Gunners have lost three of their past six games in all competitions ahead of a trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Arsenal could go into that match at Chelsea and be 10 points off Premier League leaders Liverpool before kick-off, if Arne Slot’s side beat Aston Villa on Saturday night.
Manchester City have set the standard in recent seasons, winning the title four times in a row, but Arteta believes this year could prove to be far more open.
“I think everybody is still in it, especially where we are in the season,” he said. “I think anyone can lose two, three or four matches in a row.
“And if you take that to Europe, and the competition in Europe, unfortunately it is going to happen. So let’s be prepared when the bump comes in. And at the moment we are having one and we need to get out of it.
“We don’t know how it’s going to play out, if there is a team that is able to do something like this (City’s consistency).
“Everybody is struggling, even if they’re winning. That’s the thing, sometimes the margins were bigger in games. They’re not at the moment.
“I’ve not seen a team being that superior to other teams, but at the end the fact is you have to win and find ways and details to keep the right to win games.
“There has been a team that has been more consistent than anyone else in terms of results and that has been Liverpool – you can see the numbers and the games they have won. But, the margins are much smaller.
“I think everybody has been consistently struggling with the level there is in this league and playing in Europe every three days at that level.
“The temperature has gone up another level, the level has gone up another level. I would put my fingers here and say I don’t think anybody is going to do 100 points this year. It will require perfection to keep winning.”
