Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Gary Neville has said that Arsenal are a better team than Liverpool and are the only challengers for Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners climbed back to the top of the league table on Sunday. They completely dominated Brighton & Hove Albion in a 2-0 win and went temporarily to the summit ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The Reds had the opportunity to reclaim their spot with a victory over United at home, but they were unable to find a way past their arch-rivals and ended up sharing the spoils in a goalless draw.
Speaking after the North-West derby, Neville said that he is not convinced by Liverpool and the Gunners are the only contenders to Pep Guardiola’s side for the Premier League title this campaign.
The former United star added that the Reds need to strengthen their midfield in January but as things stand, the Gunners are a better team, he told Sky Sports: “I do think Arsenal are the only challengers for City.”
“I never bought into the Liverpool thing before today, it could happen just because of purely Klopp, if they strengthen that midfield in January, but I feel Arsenal are a better team.”
January transfer window could decide title race
Manchester City have been below-par over a number of weeks and they have astonishingly dropped 11 points from the last six league games. This is something which no one would have expected.
As a result, the reigning English champions are languishing in the fourth spot in the league table with 34 points, four behind Liverpool and Aston Villa and five adrift of leaders Arsenal.
The January transfer window could have a huge part to play in the title race. If Liverpool can strengthen their squad with a marquee holding midfielder, they could genuinely go on to win the league.
Arsenal don’t have any glaring weakness in the squad similar to City, but there has been regular talk that the Gunners could invest on a high-profile striker during the upcoming transfer window.
While the focus is on City, Arsenal and Liverpool, Villa can’t be ignored from the title pursuit. They are just one point behind the Gunners and need to be taken seriously in the coming months.
Villa have a perfect winning record at home this season. If they can find the same consistency on their travels, Unai Emery’s side could be right in the thick of things at the end of the campaign.
With wealthy owners, the West Midlands outfit could also strengthen their options at the start of the New Year as they aim to secure their first English top-flight title in more than four decades.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
