Tim Howard has pinpointed Arsenal’s biggest obstacle to winning the Premier League and says Liverpool are in ‘pole position’ for the title.
The Gunners returned to the top of the table with an impressive 3-0 win over Brighton on Saturday but Liverpool will reclaim the position if they win Sunday’s clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Manchester City, who beat Crystal Palace 4-2 yesterday, are poised in third as they attempt to win a record fourth successive Premier League title and secure back-to-back trebles.
Arsenal look in good shape as they seek a first Premier League triumph since 2004, taking 71 points from 31 games this season with a hugely impressive goal difference of plus 51.
Mikel Arteta’s side challenged for the title last term but a stumble towards the end of the campaign saw them finish five points behind Man City.
The Gunners look in better shape to avoid that kind of capitulation this year but ex-Premier League goalkeeper Howard still believes they will fall short in the title race.
Arsenal have fixtures against Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United to come and Howard believes the ‘difficult’ run-in will be their downfall.
Asked for his Premier League title prediction, Howard said on NBC Sports: ‘It’s so hard to pick but Arsenal’s run-in is so, so difficult.
‘I’ve backed Arsenal to win the title before but I just think Liverpool are in pole position looing at their fixtures.’
Premier League legend Alan Shearer, meanwhile, is relishing the intense title race and says each side has their own motivation for wanting to become champions.
While Man City look for a record fourth successive title, Liverpool are hoping to win the Premier League in Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Anfield, while it has been 20 years exactly since the trophy last belonged to Arsenal.
‘No one has ever won it four times in a row so it would be an incredible story if Man City did it but there’s stories for the other two as well,’ Shearer said.
‘Arsenal are going for their first title in 20 years, Jurgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool. We can sit back and enjoy it as the weeks go by.’
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, who scored the opener in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Brighton, believes the Gunners have improved since they narrowly missed out on the title last year.
‘Last season was not great to think about,’ the England international said. ‘But it’s great in terms of learning our lesson. In games like this game, we needed to put it to bed.
‘Last season, we were conceding late goals and having to defend, then the fans were on top of us.
‘This year, we are more comfortable and I think the team is better. I feel like we are ready for each game, to win.’
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