Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has declared that next weekend's clash between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield could effectively hand Arsenal the Premier League title. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards suggested that if City fail to secure victory against Liverpool, he would concede the title race is over in favour of Mikel Arteta's side.
Arsenal's Commanding Position After Leeds Rout
Arsenal strengthened their grip on top spot with a resounding 4-0 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road, ending a concerning run of three league games without a win. The Gunners had previously drawn with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest before suffering a defeat to Manchester United, sparking doubts among supporters about their ability to maintain their advantage.
However, the emphatic response against Leeds briefly extended Arsenal's lead to seven points over Manchester City and Aston Villa, who occupy second and third places respectively. Both rivals had opportunities to close the gap during their games in hand on Sunday, but City squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Tottenham, while Villa suffered a 1-0 defeat to ten-man Brentford.
Richards and Lineker Back Arsenal for Glory
Given Arsenal's significant lead and the inconsistent form displayed by Manchester City and Aston Villa, both Richards and fellow pundit Gary Lineker now expect the Premier League trophy to head to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since 2004. Richards admitted he remains cautiously optimistic for City but highlighted next Sunday's fixture as pivotal.
Richards stated: 'I'm still optimistic until next week. I think Liverpool are going to cause Man City problems. If City play like they did in the second half at Tottenham, Liverpool will cause them all sorts of problems. As soon as teams raise the tempo and energy against Man City it's stark. Man City didn't know how to deal with it.'
He elaborated further, emphasising the importance of the upcoming match: 'I wouldn't rule them out yet but I think it's the Liverpool game. You look at the game in April between Arsenal and Man City, if there's three points in it then that's the game. But if Man City don't win next week and Arsenal beat Sunderland at home, that's when I'll concede the title race is over. It hurt me today watching Man City because normally they have the answers.'
Lineker's Assessment of the Title Race
Gary Lineker, the former England striker, echoed Richards' sentiments, suggesting it is increasingly difficult to envision anyone other than Arsenal lifting the trophy. Lineker pointed to Manchester City's noticeable drop in performance levels this season as a key factor.
Lineker commented: 'Looking at the title race now, it's really, really hard to see beyond Arsenal. It's hard to understand Man City's drop off, they've spent a lot of money obviously but it's not gelling. Arsenal got that really good win but even on their bad days they generally grind out results, they don't concede many goals and they will still cause teams problems.'
He added: 'Looking at that lead and Man City's inconsistency, it's hard to see City going on a run and winning every game. I can't see that happening. I'm not saying it's done but I find it very, very hard to imagine Man City coming back from this. It would need Arsenal to drop quite a lot of points and City to win pretty much 90% of their games. But Man City are well off where they were, they really are, and Arsenal have a reasonable run of fixtures coming up.'
Arsenal's Strengths and Title Credentials
Richards also addressed Arsenal's attacking capabilities, admitting he had previously doubted whether they possessed the necessary firepower to secure the title. He specifically mentioned striker Viktor Gyokeres but noted that circumstances have shifted in Arsenal's favour.
Richards explained: 'I thought they needed a striker to get them the title and I wasn't sure Gyokeres was that guy. But other teams around them aren't doing what they should be doing so things are falling into Arsenal's favour. Now with the players coming back they could just share out the goals so I believe it now and obviously they're in pole position.'
Lineker reinforced this view, highlighting Arsenal's resilience and potential for improvement: 'They haven't been free-flowing but have still ground out results so what happens when they start to flow? It's a really good sign for Arsenal.'
The Premier League title odds currently reflect this growing confidence in Arsenal's prospects, with Betfair pricing the Gunners at 2/13 favourites, while Manchester City are available at 9/2, Manchester United at 40/1, and Aston Villa at 50/1.
