Paul Merson fears for Arsenal’s title charge (Picture: Getty)
Paul Merson says it is ‘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 top of the table when Man City trailed Liverpool at Anfield.
But Pep Guardiola’s side scored two late goals to keep the pressure on Arsenal, who have since shown signs of fragility in 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 draw again to bottom-placed Wolves on Wednesday night.
Those setbacks mean Arsenal’s lead in the title race is just five points ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.
Man City play first this weekend, however, meaning they will reduce Arsenal’s advantage to just two if they beat Newcastle United on Saturday night.
‘The Premier League title race is in Manchester City’s hands now,’ Merson told Sportskeeda. ‘If they win every game from now, they win the league title.
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Manchester City are chasing Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
‘Three weeks ago, you could have never thought it would be this way. It’s quite unbelievable how Arsenal have slipped up.
‘If Arsenal beat Tottenham and Newcastle win at the Etihad, it will change. But I can’t see that happening.
‘The way everything is playing out in front of us, it’s not looking good for Arsenal. Imagine leading 2-0 and then conceding a draw against Wolves, that is worrying.
‘Arsenal did not deserve to win that game if I’m being honest. The only consolation for Arsenal is the fact that Newcastle basically settled the tie against Qarabag with an emphatic win.
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‘It means that Eddie Howe can play his strongest team against Manchester City this weekend. Even then, I don’t think Newcastle have a chance though.’
This is 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 crucial role’ for the rest of the season and says he will benefit from the signing of Marc Guehi.
Guehi, who was close to joining Liverpool last summer, completed a £20m move from Crystal Palace during the January transfer window.
Manchester City January signing Marc Guehi (Picture: Getty)
The England centre-back has slotted into Guardiola’s side seamlessly and Merson fears he ‘might just be the reason’ Man City pip Arsenal to the title.
‘Newcastle beating Qarabag 6-1 in the Champions League ensures that they will play a strong team against Manchester City,’ Merson added.
‘When you look at Newcastle’s fixtures, they have the best run to try and get in to the Champions League next season.
‘In addition to Manchester City and Arsenal, Newcastle also face Chelsea and Manchester United during their run-in till the end of the season.
Wolves stunned title favourites Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
‘When you are chasing teams, it’s best you play them. Newcastle can get points and deny the same to their closest competitors.
‘Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo pick themselves in that City line-up at the moment. I expect Pep Guardiola to pick Phil Foden to complete the front-three in this game, with Rayan Cherki coming off the bench.
‘Rodri is not back to his best, but he knows how to play his role more than anyone. If you want to become a top defensive midfielder, just watch him play.
‘He does all the simple things right on a consistent basis and that is incredibly hard to do. I expect Rodri to play a crucial role from now until the end of the season.
‘With Marc Guehi in the back four now, Rodri doesn’t have to protect City’s defence that much now. I have a feeling Guehi might just be the reason why City catch Arsenal in the title race!
‘Expecting a crucial win for City to put 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 as the dominant team of the era.
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