Paul Merson says it’s ‘quite unbelievable’ how the Premier League title race has evolved in recent weeks as Manchester City aim to reel in Arsenal.
Arsenal were minutes away from boasting a nine-point lead at the highest of the table when Man City trailed Liverpool at Anfield.
But Pep Guardiola’s side scored two late goals to maintain the pressure on Arsenal, who’ve since shown signs of fragility within the title race.
The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw by London rivals Brentford last week before throwing away a two-goal lead to attract again to bottom-placed Wolves on Wednesday night.
Those setbacks mean Arsenal’s lead within the title race is just five points ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.
Man City play first this weekend, nevertheless, meaning they’ll reduce Arsenal’s advantage to simply two in the event that they beat Newcastle United on Saturday night.
‘The Premier League title race is in Manchester City’s hands now,’ Merson told Sportskeeda. ‘In the event that they win every game from now, they win the league title.
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‘Three weeks ago, you possibly can have never thought it will be this fashion. It’s quite unbelievable how Arsenal have slipped up.
‘If Arsenal beat Tottenham and Newcastle win on the Etihad, it’ll change. But I can’t see that taking place.
‘The best way all the pieces is playing out in front of us, it’s not looking good for Arsenal. Imagine leading 2-0 after which conceding a draw against Wolves, that’s worrying.
‘Arsenal didn’t should win that game if I’m being honest. The one consolation for Arsenal is the undeniable fact that Newcastle mainly settled the tie against Qarabag with an emphatic win.
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‘It implies that Eddie Howe can play his strongest team against Manchester City this weekend. Even then, I don’t think Newcastle have a likelihood though.’
This is just not Pep Guardiola’s best Manchester City side but Merson expects them to beat Newcastle to ‘put real pressure on Arsenal ahead of their derby against Tottenham’.
Merson believes Rodri will ‘play a vital role’ for the remaining of the season and says he’ll profit from the signing of Marc Guehi.
Guehi, who was near joining Liverpool last summer, accomplished a £20m move from Crystal Palace in the course of the January transfer window.
The England centre-back has slotted into Guardiola’s side seamlessly and Merson fears he ‘might just be the rationale’ Man City pip Arsenal to the title.
‘Newcastle beating Qarabag 6-1 within the Champions League ensures that they’ll play a robust team against Manchester City,’ Merson added.
‘Once you have a look at Newcastle’s fixtures, they’ve the most effective run to attempt to get in to the Champions League next season.
‘Along with Manchester City and Arsenal, Newcastle also face Chelsea and Manchester United during their run-in till the top of the season.
‘When you find yourself chasing teams, it’s best you play them. Newcastle can get points and deny the identical to their closest competitors.
‘Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo pick themselves in that City line-up for the time being. I expect Pep Guardiola to select Phil Foden to finish the front-three on this game, with Rayan Cherki coming off the bench.
‘Rodri is just not back to his best, but he knows tips on how to play his role greater than anyone. If you desire to change into a top defensive midfielder, just watch him play.
‘He does all the easy things right on a consistent basis and that’s incredibly hard to do. I expect Rodri to play a vital role from now until the top of the season.
‘With Marc Guehi within the back 4 now, Rodri doesn’t need to protect City’s defence that much now. I actually have a sense Guehi might just be the rationale why City catch Arsenal within the title race!
‘Expecting a vital win for City to place real pressure on Arsenal ahead of their derby against Tottenham.’
While Arsenal are bidding to lift their first Premier League trophy since 2004, Manchester City have won six of the past eight titles, establishing themselves because the dominant team of the era.
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