Man City expert drops new Premier League title prediction after "silly" Arsenal claim

It is “impossible” for Arsenal to not feel the pressure in their quest to win the Premier League title and it would be “silly” to write off rivals Manchester City at this stage of the season, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

On November 1, Mikel Arteta’s side secured a 2-0 victory at Burnley in an early kickoff to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table, but a month later, that advantage has been cut down to just two points, with Man City sitting second and Aston Villa just one point further back in third.

Arsenal have won just two of their last five top-flight matches (D2 L1) and most recently suffered a 2-1 defeat away against Aston Villa last Saturday - conceding a 95th-minute goal - while Man City claimed their third consecutive league win just a few hours later, beating Sunderland 3-0 on home soil.

After 15 games this season, McInerney has questioned those who have suggested that there is a “feeling on invincibility” at Arsenal, with many regarding them as strong favourites to end years of frustration and win the title for the first time in more than two decades.

McInerney was initially of the opinion that Arsenal were looking “imperious”, but he now believes that the Gunners are “capable” of dropping more points as the season progresses and Pep Guardiola's men are more than capable of challenging Arteta's side.

“For me as a City fan, all I can take from it is a feeling, not a prediction,” he told Sports Mole. “The feeling to me is this might actually happen, this could actually happen (Man City win the title), because the feeling of invincibility that surrounded Arsenal was silly, it's obviously not true.

“Silly” to write Man City off in PL title fight with Arsenal

“They're clearly capable of dropping points, the stress of a title race is absurd and does crazy things to everyone, including City.

“I'd be silly as a City fan, and as a football fan, to write off Manchester City, because as much as there's been so much change, they still have the most successful manager in the Premier League in Guardiola, a relentless winner.

“They still have a ridiculous core of experienced winners, [Gianluigi] Donnarumma, [Ruben] Dias, [Phil] Foden, [Erling] Haaland, [Josko] Gvardiol, hopefully Rodri soon, players who've won league titles, and they still have an Arsenal side ahead of them who just haven't done it yet.

“I just think it's impossible not to feel that pressure. I saw a video going around of Arsenal’s reaction when they conceded that goal and at full time (after losing to Aston Villa) and they were furious, there was proper head-loss stuff. It could just be the moment upsetting them, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're thinking, ‘Here we go again, it's only two points and it's meant to be ours in the procession this season’.

“You can see the fear etched in the faces of some Arsenal fans. It could be that in the next three games, City drops some points, suddenly it's back to that same gap again - absolutely it could be and I wouldn't rule that out at all.

“But it shows the futility, as Guardiola said, of making too many bold predictions so early on, because just so many things can change. A whole season can flip on an injury, or a moment of misfortune, or some team randomly finding great form away from you - anything can happen.

PL title balance has “definitely tilted towards Man City”

McInerney has suggested that the title ‘balance’ has shifted into the favour of Man City after closing the gap on Arsenal, but there are still question marks over the identity of Guardiola’s new-look squad and whether they are capable of putting together a long running streak.

“As a City fan, I did think maybe it was a self-defence mechanism where I was thinking Arsenal are imperious right now and City are too leaky, blah, blah, blah," McInerney said. "You started to think maybe it is their year, I don't see how we catch up, given City are so obviously in transition, which they are.

“But you actually realise that confidence in football is so easily built up, or so easily lost, that you just never know what's going to happen. Right now, where City are, two points behind Arsenal, it's now factually back in our own hands. If City win every single game (including one against Arsenal), we win the league. [Winning every game] won’t happen, of course, but it gives you a little bit of a boost.

“I don't think City are expected to win the league this season. I think people who pay attention to football know that City are a team very much in transition and after last season the expectations aren't really there.

“Arsenal probably are the best side in the league still, so I think that was a very real weekend, in terms of the balance moving a little bit - a bit still towards Arsenal, but it's definitely tilted towards City a little bit more.

“It’s such a cliche, but - more than ever - it very much feels like one game at a time, because I still don't feel I know as a fan - I'm sure Pep feels the same even as the coach - the identity of this City side. I don't know how good they are yet.

“They're clearly talented, there's clearly a lot of ability there, I just don't know if they're capable yet of 10 wins in a row, which you probably need to win the league this season. They might be, but I don't know, we'll see.

Arsenal? Man City? Aston Villa? “Anything can happen” in PL title race

“Guardiola saying ‘just one game at a time’ was always great advice (in previous years), but you felt when you had a great City side that you could look a bit further ahead, because it was so good. You could look at 10 games and go, ‘Yeah we are probably going to win at least seven of them’, with peak City.

“Whereas now, I don't know if that's true, I think we could win three or we could win eight, so I don't know. It's somewhere in between. Just go from moment to moment. As Guardiola said, you can't win titles in November, December, but you can lose them, so just keep close.

“We've kept close right now. [The gap is] only two points and this is Arsenal's ‘best side yet’ apparently, according to everyone. They just batted Bayern Munich in the Champions League, they're brilliant, and then all of a sudden [comes] the pressure of the Premier League.

“Aston Villa have just beaten them. I don't think it was undeserved really. Aston Villa were good and this is where we're at. Just keep cracking on one game at a time.

“Who knows, maybe Rodri gets back into the side, put him in for Bernardo Silva in that team and that's probably City's best side right now. City might buy a world-class right back, or maybe another winger in January, because they've got the funds and we've got the squad place. It could be a very different Man City easily a month-and-a-half from now.

“Two or three of the starting lineup could be different, and at that point, if we're only a couple of points behind Arsenal, and we're winning, and we're a bit more solid defensively, anything can happen.”

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