Former midfielder turned pundit Roy Keane has said that it is highly unlikely that Liverpool or Arsenal will be able to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title this season.
After narrowly missing out on winning the league title last term, the Gunners opted to spend big and strengthen their squad last summer to bridge the gap with Pep Guardiola’s side.
Arsenal have enjoyed a promising start to this season, sitting third in the table with 27 points from 12 games and are only one point behind the league leaders Man City.
On the other hand, having endured a dire campaign last term, Liverpool decided to revamp their engine room last summer to challenge on all fronts this season. They have also started the season brightly, accumulating as many points as Arsenal but are currently second in the league as a result of superior goal difference.
So, early signs suggest that Arsenal and Liverpool would be able to mount a title charge this season and push the Citizens. Speaking on The Overlap, Gary Neville suggested that Arsenal could win the title this season while Liverpool may also be contenders.
However, Keane responded by saying that there is a ‘lack of quality’ behind Man City in the league, and he’s tipping Pep Guardiola’s men to retain their title once again this season.
Liverpool & Arsenal unlikely to challenge City
The pundit further states that other teams such as Arsenal and Liverpool haven’t been able to perform at the highest level this season so they need to sort themselves out quickly if they were to challenge for the title this term.
Keane said:
“I think the standard of the Premier League hasn’t been great the last month or two. I think some of the goals we are watching at weekends are so poor, the lack of quality.
“Man City are excellent, there’s no doubt about it. But I think the other teams [such as Arsenal and Liverpool] need to sort themselves out, I really do. I still can’t see beyond City, even if they have some sort of blip, they are strong enough.”
Although Man City have been excellent this season, they have shown that they have vulnerability in their team. However, they tend to get better as the season progresses so it will be extremely difficult for Liverpool or Arsenal to keep up with the pace of Man City. But they will have to do that if either of those clubs were to win the title this season.
