Paul Scholes makes Arsenal title race claim ahead of Liverpool clash

Paul Scholes believes Manchester City and Pep Guardiola will be more concerned by Liverpool than Arsenal in the Premier League title race this season.

Arne Slot’s side currently sit top of the Premier League with 21 points from their opening eight games, while City are a point behind in second place and Arsenal are third with 17 points.

Arsenal host Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium this Sunday and Mikel Arteta’s side face the prospect of being seven points behind their rivals if they lose.

Liverpool have won all six of their games away from home in all competitions this season and Scholes feels Slot’s side represent the biggest threat to City’s Premier League crown this term.

‘I think Liverpool’s squad is better than Arsenal’s,’ Scholes said on The Overlap.

‘I think Guardiola will be more worried about Liverpool than he is Arsenal.’

Scholes also believes the energy in Liverpool’s midfield has been a key factor behind their strong start to the campaign.

‘They’ve got legs haven’t they, which is a big thing,’ Scholes said.

‘I think the biggest thing I noticed at Old Trafford when they played against [Manchester] United, ‘wow, they look a fit team’. And there’s quality with it as well.

‘Them three in the middle of the pitch, with the forwards they’ve got in front of them, I don’t think it really matters that much.

‘I think we all say, ‘you’re only as good as your forwards are’, they’ve got three forwards, not three, five or six forwards who are special, so that middle of the pitch I don’t think becomes that important.

‘Although they have still got six again, any three of the six could play who can be brilliant, [Alexis] Mac Allister didn’t play at the weekend – how good has he been?’

However, Ian Wright questioned Dominik Szoboszlai’s contribution as he said: ‘You know what as well, no one expected this from Gravenberch, and then Curtis Jones all of a sudden has gone supernova, I still think Szoboszlai, I’m not seeing his performances.

‘I think the form and Gravenberch and Curtis Jones have taken it to another place.’

Meanwhile, Roy Keane insists Liverpool should have always been considered potential title contenders after finishing nine points behind City in their final season under Jurgen Klopp last term.

‘Why are we all so surprised how well Liverpool are doing?’ Keane said.

‘Remember they got 80-odd points last year, and we’re still only in October, on one hand we’re saying Arsenal aren’t playing that well but we go back to Liverpool… it’s October, you have to give them praise but it’s October, you don’t win anything in October.’

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