Paul Merson has weighed in on the Premier League title race and has pinpointed the moment he believes Liverpool could move out of Arsenal’s reach.
The Gunners currently trail the Reds by six points, and Arne Slot’s side still has a game in hand, which could extend their lead even further. As the season progresses, that additional fixture will be played, putting Liverpool level on games with Arsenal and potentially widening the gap at the top of the table.
Liverpool has been in outstanding form this season, competing in multiple competitions, which has led to a congested fixture schedule. The Merseyside club remains in the Carabao Cup, Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup, meaning they face a relentless run of games in the coming weeks.
In contrast, Arsenal has a less demanding schedule after exiting both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup earlier in the campaign. With only the Premier League and the Champions League to focus on, Mikel Arteta’s men have an advantage in terms of freshness, but they still need to capitalise on it by winning their games.
Merson, however, is concerned that Liverpool could effectively end Arsenal’s title hopes if they secure victory over Everton. Speaking to Metro Sport, he explained how a win in the Merseyside derby could put Slot’s side in a commanding position:
*”They’ve got two [trophies left to win], one they could be out of by Wednesday night in my opinion.
“If Liverpool win at Everton, that’ll be nine points clear with 15-odd games left. They’d have to lose four of them, which I think would be impossible. To me, it comes down to Wednesday.”*
The scenario Merson describes is undoubtedly worrying for Arsenal, as a nine-point deficit at this stage of the season would be extremely difficult to overturn. However, football is unpredictable, and there is still a long way to go in the campaign.
For Arsenal, the key remains to focus on their own performances and ensure they take maximum points from their games. While they cannot influence Liverpool’s results, they must stay consistent and be ready to pounce if the league leaders slip up.
ADMIN COMMENT
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Merson also thinks we should sign Kane. It ticks me off that pundits have been crowning Liverpool champions with as few as ten games played. Let’s just see how the season pans out and not waste time and energy on pointless speculation
I think merson was right, looking at the number of games both teams have played. Liv’ played more than half of season fixtures losing just a game in the process. And in events where Liv had droped points, Arsenal would not convince by closing up gap ambitiously. I think Merson was right.
It’s what’s in front of your eyes
I agree with Graham Kerr.The games still need to be played. If Liverpool win the PL they should be congratulated and we should move on and plan for the next season.
Until they actually win it however Arsenal need to keep putting in performances and get results.
There is far too much negative energy expended on sites such as this on running down the club, the manager, our players etc.
Thank you! I don’t see any point in giving the league to Liverpool with 14 games to be played. Everton away is a tough game for them, they may not win it. When we beat Leicester in the early game on Saturday we could then be only 3 or 4 points behind them. That is not an insurmountable lead. Liverpool are due their share of injuries and VAR decisions going against them. So who knows? What’s to be gained from writing us off at this stage, unless you prefer the glass to be permanently half empty.
There are plenty of glasses half full unfortunately
What’s in front of everyone’s eyes is we have 42 points to play for and are 6 points behind Liverpool.
Surely ‘Merson’ and ‘thinks’ shouldn’t be in the same sentence?
Even if Liverpool lose their game against Everton, I still don’t see them losing the title to Arsenal, sorry. Even a 6-point gap would simply be insurmountable because it would require them to lose 3 games while Arsenal win all their remaining 14. That’s not going to happen, not with the grossly weakened front line we have now.
For me, the hope of a trophy has long been extinguished. Just hoping for a top-four finish in the PL and some good progress (maybe semis) in the CL. Any other thing would be a massive bonus