Paul Scholes has warned Arsenal they’ve ‘no probability’ of winning the Premier League until they begin turning up in ‘big games’.
The Gunners still have a two-point cushion at the highest of the Premier League despite a deflating 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on the weekend.
Leandro Trossard’s second-half goal cancelled out Matty Money’s first-half opener and looked set to earn Mikel Arteta’s side a degree at Villa Park.
But Emiliano Buendia scored with virtually the last kick of the sport to inflict only a second defeat on Arsenal this season and send third-placed Aston Villa into title contention.
Manchester City, who look to be Arsenal’s biggest rival for the title, thumped Sunderland 3-0 a couple of hours later to cap off a disappointing afternoon for the present leaders.
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Arsenal remain favourites to win the title, in line with the bookmakers not less than, but Scholes says Arteta’s side need to start out winning ‘the large games’ if they will end the club’s 22-year wait for a Premier League trophy.
‘Man City have an incredible probability now, don’t they?’ Scholes, a 11-time Premier League winner with Manchester United, said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
‘I still don’t think they’re quite right but they all the time improve within the second-half of the season and the thing with Arsenal is that they can’t win a giant game.
‘Until they begin winning big games they’ve got no probability of winning the league.
‘They lost to Liverpool, they couldn’t beat Man City at home once they were struggling. Aston Villa are a great team, don’t get me fallacious, but Arsenal just can’t win big games. They couldn’t beat Chelsea after they went right down to ten men.
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‘If you’re going to win the league you’ve got to start out winning some big games, you’ve got to beat your rivals, they usually can’t do it.
‘Historically Man City all the time improve after January. They were within the Club World Cup so that they didn’t really have a pre-season.’
Scholes’ former Manchester United teammate Nicky Butt, meanwhile, has backed Manchester City to reel Arsenal in and win yet one more title.
‘I did say I fancied Man City for the title a couple of month ago,’ Butt said. ‘They’re suddenly clicking.
‘The rationale I believe Man City will win the league is Pep [Guardiola]. He’s got the experience. I can see him winning the league this yr after which leaving.’
Arsenal will fully expect to return to winning ways within the Premier League on Saturday when bottom-placed Wolves visit the Emirates Stadium.
Man City face a potentially tricky trip to Crystal Palace, the team that beat them in last season’s FA Cup final, while Aston Villa visit West Ham.
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