Jamie Carragher has claimed Arsenal are the ‘best team’ in the Premier League this season despite Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool.
The Gunners are top of the table after their opening 11 games this season as they look to secure the title for the first time in over two decades.
Arsenal have finished as runners-up for the last three seasons in a row, missing out to both City and Liverpool across those campaigns.
Pep Guardiola’s side finished third last term, ending a run of four consecutive Premier League trophies.
This season, City are up to second, four points behind Mikel Arteta’s men, but Carragher has ‘no doubt’ Arsenal are currently the superior team.
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‘I think Arsenal will be nervous [in the title race] because it’s Man City and they’ve done this to them twice before,’ Carragher told Sky Sports.
‘Twice in last three years they’ve come from behind and caught Arsenal.
‘The manner of the [City] victory today, that first-half performance as well… Liverpool are the champions but City took them to the cleaners.
‘I think on the back of Arsenal dropping points against a promoted team, they would have been hoping for a draw [between City and Liverpool].
‘But they saw City not only win – but win well – and they might be getting a few flashbacks to the last couple of times they had a chance at a title.
‘It might be a long two weeks… I still think Arsenal are the best team I’ve seen in the Premier League this season, no doubt.
‘But it’s been so long since they won the title so everyone will become twitchy during the run-in.’
Metro @ The Match: Wirtz ghosts again
Analysis from Metro‘s Head of Sport James Goldman after Man City’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool…
Watch out Arsenal
Any suggestion that Mikel Arteta’s previously relentless winning machine would sleepwalk their way to the title was always fanciful prior to this weekend. It is pure folly now after a couple of familiar failings reared their head at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, before City laid down an emphatic marker against Liverpool. City have hunted down the Gunners from less promising positions in the past and although the personnel might be different, Arsenal’s failure to go course and distance in the past is likely to haunt them until they finally get over the line. Nothing about City’s recent form suggests they’re going to give them an easy ride.
City’s wing wizards
While they’ve still got to go some to emulate some of their illustrious predecessors, there’s definitely shades of Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling about the current City widemen. Jeremy Doku gave Conor Bradley an infinitesimally more testing time than Vinicius Jnr in midweek and his electric dribbling style now, more frequently than not, culminates in end product. On the opposite flank, Rayan Cherki’s magnetic first touch and inventiveness neatly complimented the qualities of those around him before he was withdrawn early in the second period.
Nico shows why he’s been called up by England
England’s left-back position is certainly up for grabs given the number of options Thomas Tuchel has experimented with over the course of his tenure. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s relative inactivity for Arsenal has handed an opportunity to Nico O’Reilly and it’s one the City youngster looks primed to take. Tasked with taming Mohamed Salah, the 20-year-old hardly gave Liverpool’s talisman an inch and his poise on the ball, a pre-requisite for any City player in Pep Guardiola’s system, helped his side navigate its way out of several tight spots and spring dangerous attacks.
Wirtz ghosts again
Doku’s improvement this season and man of the match display served as a timely remind that it is still way too soon to write off one of Liverpool’s two headline summer signings, but this was another concerning performance. So infrequent was his involvement in the game that it was difficult to determine the role he had been assigned. Either way, he looks ill at ease with the playmaking responsibilities he has presumably been charged with, no matter which combination of midfielders and forwards Arne Slot selects. Lightweight, indecisive and short on confidence, Wirtz and his manager have major issues to solve.
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk insists Liverpool are ‘not going to give up’ on retaining the title and says they are ‘ready’ for a ‘big fight’ with Arsenal and Manchester City for the Premier League trophy.
‘We are not going to give up whatsoever,’ Van Dijk said after the loss to City. ‘We are in November and we are ready for a long season and a big fight.’
Liverpool boss Arne Slot, though, has made a worrying claim about his team’s chances in the title race.
‘The last thing I should speak about is the title race,’ Slot said. ‘We have to focus on getting results.’