‘Four points’: Jamie Carragher makes Manchester City & Arsenal title claim

Jamie Carragher has said on Sky Sports Premier League that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal need to take four points off of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City if they are to win the Premier League title this season.

Arsenal currently lead Pep Guardiola’s men by five points in the table following Man City’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Thursday night. But the Premier League’s top two are yet to face each other due to postponements in the first half of the campaign, with two massive six-pointers still to be contested over the coming months.

Former Liverpool defender believes that defending champions Manchester City will be most people’s favourites to win the title ahead of Arsenal this season.

The Sky Sports pundit has said that Arsenal need to take points off of City in their next two games if they are to become Premier League champions.

Carragher made the comments in the build-up to the Premier League game between Chelsea and City on Thursday evening

Carragher said: “I think most people will [have City as favourites]. But watching Arsenal the other night [against Newcastle United], I just thought they needed to relax.”

“There’s so long to go in the season – and you talk about Man City can win so many games in a row, that’s what Arsenal have virtually done in the last two or three months before the World Cup. I think Arsenal have dropped points in three games, that is some going.

“I think a lot of it will come down to the two games against Manchester City,” he added. “If Arsenal want to win the title they’ll have to take four points off City, I would expect, and I think that would put them in a great position.

“But I think Arsenal have been absolutely fantastic. They don’t need to worry that they’ve dropped two points, that’s going to happen. Man City’s last three home [league] games, I think they drew with Everton, lost to Brentford and scored a last-minute goal against Fulham. You can drop points at home and Arsenal lost points against the best defensive team in the league. There’s no need to panic whatsoever.”