"I think that would be it" - Paul Merson issues title race warning to Arsenal ahead of north London derby against Tottenham
Pundit Paul Merson believes that Arsenal need to secure four points in their next two Premier League matches to stay close to Manchester City in the title race. The Gunners will first take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (September 15) before traveling to the Etihad on September 22.
Mikel Arteta's side are already two points behind the Cityzens after three league matches. They dropped two points in a home match against Brighton before the international break.
Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Merson said (via Manchester City News):
"Arsenal's Premier League season all comes down to the next two games against Tottenham and Man City. They need four points, it's as simple as that. If they get anything less, then you start to worry because you're playing catch-up against a machine in Man City."
"If they draw against Spurs and lose at Man City a week later, they're probably going to be seven points behind and I think that would be it."
The Gunners have been pushing Manchester City for the Premier League title for the last two campaigns. They fell short by two points in the 2023/24 campaign and lost out by five points the season before that despite leading the race for 248 days.
Arsenal have a difficult week coming up, with captain Martin Odegaard a major doubt for these two matches following his injury during the international break. Additionally, Declan Rice will miss the north London derby due to suspension.
Arsenal receive Martin Odegaard injury boost ahead of important week - Reports
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard picked up an ankle injury while representing Norway in their 2-1 win against Austria on Monday (September 09).
While it was expected that the creative midfielder would be out for about three weeks, the Mirror claims that the injury isn't as bad as initially thought. According to this report, the Gunners' medical staff are fairly optimistic about having Odegaard available for the latter part of the week.
This means that the former Real Madrid star could feature in Arsenal's opening UEFA Champions League match of the season against Atalanta on Thursday (September 19). Resultantly, Odegaard could also be available for the Gunners' Premier League trip to Manchester City next weekend.
Despite failing to record a goal contribution in his team's opening three matches, the 25-year-old has been at the heart many good moments for Mikel Arteta's team. Odegaard's presence is key, given that the club do not have a natural replacement for him.