"Do not get me wrong" - Paul Merson makes bold claims about Manchester City after Arsenal loss
Arsenal legend Paul Merson has claimed that Manchester City will not finish below second in the Premier League this season.
The Cityzens have been virtually unstoppable in England in the last six seasons, winning the league title five times. Despite Arsenal leading the table for 248 days last term, City recovered to win the Premier League by five points.
Manchester City lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the league on 8 October at the Emirates, which meant they were two points off the top of the table. It was also the Gunners' first league win against them since December 2015.
Arsenal are now second in the table with 20 points from eight games, trailing leaders Tottenham Hotspur on goals scored. Pep Guardiola's side are third — a point ahead of fourth-placed Liverpool.
Merson believes that finishing second in the league is the worst-case scenario for Guardiola. His team, the pundit believes, is too good to finish third or fourth in the table.
Merson told Sky Sports (h/t Football Insider):
"Man City are slow starters. Do not get me wrong it is game on as they have just lost again but they are the only team in the league who can win 13-14 games on the trot when it gets past Christmas.
"You look at their squad and it is much bigger than everyone else’s – any side that finishes above Man City this season will be league champions. There is no way two or three teams will finish above them."
One solid example of City finishing on a strong note came in the 2018-19 season. They won their last 14 Premier League games of the campaign to pip Liverpool to the title by a solitary point.
Talking numbers from Arsenal's memorable win against Manchester City
Arsenal waited a long time to beat Manchester City in the league. Mikel Arteta had never beaten Guardiola in the competition since becoming the Gunners' boss in 2019.
The north London club registered just two shots on target against City in their 1-0 win — just one more than the visitors. It took a massive Nathan Ake deflection on Gabriel Martinelli's shot in the 86th minute for the game to have its first and only goal.
David Raya had no saves to make and recorded his third clean sheet in four Premier League games for the Gunners. This was also Arsenal's first win against the competition's defending champions since April 2017, when they beat Leicester City.
Manchester City, meanwhile, lost back-to-back league games for the first time since December 2018. They won the league that season.