Graeme Souness doubts Pep Guardiola will ‘worry’ if Liverpool will catch Manchester City for the title this season. Instead, his focus will be on if Arsenal can win the Premier League.
The Gunners will enter the new year atop the table regardless of their result at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. Mikel Arteta’s squad have amassed 40 points from their opening 15 games. Their haul is enough for a five-point lead to the reigning champions, the Citizens.
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Arsenal have also won more games than any other top-flight team so far this term with 13. They have further drawn and lost the fewest matches with just the one stalemate and one defeat so far. Only Manchester City (43) have outscored the north Londoners (36), as well.
Arsenal will enter 2023 at the top of the Premier League table
Manchester City will hope to put Arsenal under increased pressure entering the new year as they host Everton on Saturday. Guardiola’s squad take on the Toffees at 15:00 ahead of the Gunners travelling to Brighton at 17:30. Newcastle United could also enter 2023 in second.
The Magpies host Leeds United at 15:00 on New Year’s Eve just two points off Manchester City in second place. But the Toon have also played one more fixture than the Citizens and Arsenal with 16 games. Eddie Howe’s side have further only lost one game but drew in six.
Liverpool, meanwhile, beat Leicester City 2-1 on Friday night thanks to two own goals from Foxes defender Wout Faes. Yet the three points were not enough to move Jurgen Klopp’s squad up from sixth place. They sit 12 points off Arsenal and have played one more match.
Souness doubts Guardiola will fear Klopp’s but Arteta’s squad for the title
Arsenal last topped the Premier League table on New Year’s during the 2015/16 term but Leicester City won the title. The Gunners also led the league at the turn of the year during 2013/14 but would only finish in fourth place. They also finished in third during 2007/08.
Arteta will hope it is not fourth time unlucky in 2022/23 and that Arsenal can win their first Premier League title since 2003/04. They did not lead the league at New Year’s that season with Manchester United atop the tree on January 1. But the Gunners were just a point shy.
Having now built a five-point lead entering New Year’s Eve in 2022/23, Souness believes Arsenal can now be a real candidate to win the Premier League title this term. Much more so than his former team, Liverpool, who have been Manchester City’s nearest rival of late.
Souness wrote in his Daily Mail column: “Who would have thought we would arrive at New Year’s Eve and City, with [Erling] Haaland having scored 20 league goals, would be five points off top? Not only that but it would be Arsenal setting the pace.
“We have a genuine title race. Historically Pep Guardiola would worry [about] what Liverpool were doing. Not this year because Arsenal have a real chance of winning this league.
“Arsenal are playing with a freedom, belief and confidence. When I watch them, they believe they can out-football and out-score anyone. That is a tremendous conviction to have. But it can cost you because I don’t think they have a plan B. That is not a criticism.”
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