"It's still early in the season" – Manchester City star Manuel Akanji makes bold Premier League title prediction following Arsenal stalemate
Manchester City star Manuel Akanji has predicted that his side will win the Premier League title following a 2-2 home league draw against Arsenal earlier this Sunday (September 22).
During the Cityzens' most recent clash, Erling Haaland and John Stones scored on either side of Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes' respective goals. Leandro Trossard's sending off before the break saw City spending the second half camped in the opposition half.
After the end of the league contest at Etihad Stadium, Akanji lambasted Arsenal for their tactics in the second half. The ex-Borussia Dortmund centre-back opined (h/t Manchester Evening News):
"Always when we play against them, that's what they're looking for: the drama. It worked for them so they're happy with the one point. We're not, we tried to get more but that's what they're happy with. At the end of the day, we're still top of the league. We haven't lost a game yet. We tried, especially in the second half with one man up but it's hard with 10 players defending in their own box."
Asked if the Gunners were masters of the dark arts, Akanji responded:
"I don't think there are many better than them at it. But, in the end, we always won the title and I don't think it's going to be different this year. Like I said, it's still early in the season. I think we're going to win the league again, and we won't focus too much on Arsenal. The focus today was on them because we played against them, so focusing ourselves on our games, and then we will see."
Manchester City are atop the 2024-25 Premier League standings with 13 points from five matches, while Mikel Arteta's side are on 11 points.
Gary Neville hails Arsenal after recent draw
Following the Gunners' 2-2 Premier League draw at Manchester City, Manchester United legend Gary Neville lavished praise on both teams. He told Sky Sports (h/t SPORTbible):
"The two best teams in the country. Arsenal were so, so close in a big, big battle today. But the biggest battle is still to come."
The Gunners are keen to end their 20-year-long Premier League title drought after failing to pip Manchester City to the elusive trophy last two seasons. They will next face Bolton Wanderers in an EFL Cup third round match at Emirates Stadium this Wednesday (September 25).
Manchester City, on the other hand, will face EFL Championship outfit Watford in their EFL Cup third round home contest on September 24.