Former English football star Paul Merson made an important statement today, considering that the determination of the English Premier League champion may be made in the next two weeks.
Merson stressed that Arsenal is steadily moving towards achieving the league title, which has been absent since 2004, in light of the decline in the level of Liverpool and Manchester City.
Arsenal is presenting a stunning level this season, under the leadership of its Spanish coach Mikel Arteta, as the team has achieved seven victories in the first nine matches in the league, to advance by four points from its closest rivals.
It seems that the London team has gained more maturity than in previous seasons, after finishing three consecutive seasons in second place, benefiting from a successful summer transfer period, during which it strengthened its ranks with influential names.
Although some analysts believe that the team does not score many goals compared to its competitors, Arsenal’s real strength lies in its strong defense; as it has conceded only three goals in 14 matches in all competitions, a figure that makes it among the best European teams in terms of defensive organization and tactical discipline.
These numbers prompted Merson, the “Gunners” legend, to confidently confirm that the English League Cup is on its way to North London, pointing out that the continuation of this performance will make the competition decided early this season.
“Amazing statistic”
Merson said, according to the British newspaper “Metro”, before the “Gunners” match with Burnley next Saturday in the English Premier League: “Everything now depends on how quickly Arsenal can decipher Burnley’s defense. We saw how Liverpool struggled in their match with them this season, before achieving a late victory there.”
He added: “Burnley is a team that performs well at home, plays realistically and relies on its strengths, and this makes sense for a team newly promoted to the Premier League and seeking to stay. But given the way Arsenal is playing at the moment, just for Burnley to be able to shoot on goal would be an achievement for them… That’s how Arsenal’s level has become now.”
Merson drew attention to an important statistic, which shows the extent of the London team’s defensive superiority, saying: “I read an amazing statistic: Even if Arsenal had conceded a goal from every shot they faced this season (in the Premier League), they would still have 13 or 14 points! These figures are extraordinary by all standards.”
“Mourinho’s Chelsea”
The former “Gunners” star in the nineties continued: “Arsenal is currently being compared to the Chelsea team, during the era of Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho. The only difference is that Chelsea maintained this level throughout the entire season, while Arsenal has done so so far in only nine matches, and it still has three-quarters of the season to continue in the same vein.”
Merson added: “If Arsenal wants to match Mourinho’s team in terms of solidity, it should not concede more than four goals in every nine upcoming matches… and if it can achieve that in modern football, it will be amazing in every sense of the word.”
Merson recalled what he said earlier in the season: “On September 19, I said that if Arsenal came out with four points from its matches against Manchester City and Newcastle, it would win the league. It has already achieved that, and I still stick to my opinion until now.”
He added confidently: “In fact, I think the title race may be completely decided in the next two weeks. Arsenal will face Burnley and Sunderland before the international break, while Liverpool will play against Aston Villa and Manchester City.”
He continued: “I expect Arsenal to win the next two matches, while I don’t see Liverpool being able to win this week. And if Manchester City and Liverpool draw in round 11, Arsenal will move away at the top in a comfortable way, and may end the season with a big difference.”
The former English star concluded his statements with a more daring prediction: “I even think that Arsenal is capable of going far in the Champions League, this season, because by the end of the group stage and entering the knockout stages, the team may have already decided the league title.”
“Deep squad”
In the middle of the week, Arsenal continued its strong performance domestically, winning against Brighton 2-0, and qualifying for the quarter-finals of the English League Cup.
In the next round, the team will face Crystal Palace, for a place in the semi-finals, while teams such as Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle United (the title holders) remain in the competition, which increases the strength of the tournament this season.
This victory reaffirmed that Arteta has a complete team in all lines, and it can compete locally and continentally at the same time, with a depth in the squad that allows him to rotate without negatively affecting the results, while waiting to see how capable the “Gunners” are of continuing at the same level, until the decisive stages of the season.
