Graeme Souness believes Arsenal have a key disadvantage in the Premier League title race with Manchester City this season.
The Gunners are desperate to clinch their first top-flight trophy since 2004 this term after finishing as runners-up for the last three seasons in a row.
Mikel Arteta’s side are top of the table after 16 games but have had somewhat of a recent wobble, losing at Aston Villa before a narrow home win over 20th-placed Wolves in which they needed a 94th-minute winner.
City, meanwhile, have won their last four Premier League games in a row, impressively beating Crystal Palace 3-0 away from home last time out, with Pep Guardiola’s second-placed side now just two points behind Arsenal.
Having been crowned English champions in four of the last five seasons and beating Arsenal to the title in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, Souness feels City have a psychological advantage over the Gunners.
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Quizzed about Arsenal, City and third-placed Villa, Liverpool legend and football pundit Souness told Sky Bet: ‘Going to Crystal Palace is not easy and they [Manchester City] turned up and won.
‘City are just coming good at the right time, which is scary for the rest of them.
‘Aston Villa are a good team, but when you’ve won the title and you’ve won a title a few times, you have unbelievable belief in yourself and the players you’re sitting in the dressing room with.
‘Arsenal have not got that. City have got that. Villa have not got that. So, City will be full of confidence.
‘They’ll be thinking, “We’ll win this. Someone will bottle it. We’ll beat Arsenal when we play them, we’ll beat Villa when we play them again, and we’ll win the league”.
‘That’s what they’ll be thinking. For Arsenal, they’ll be thinking, “We’ve been here before, haven’t we? Let’s make sure we don’t bottle it this time”.
‘And that’s a little worm in their head. Villa have never been near in recent history, and this is all new to them.
‘But who’s to say they can’t keep going? They have some really good players.
‘There may be an issue up front for them as well. Ollie Watkins – [Unai Emery] is obviously not entirely happy with him because he’s not been starting him.
‘If he gets back scoring goals, then Villa will just go to another level again.
‘You don’t have to be playing well if you’ve got an out-and-out goalscorer who just keeps scoring for you.
‘If that keeps happening, the confidence within the team just grows. Then suddenly you become a formidable outfit.
‘So goalscoring is the most important thing you can have at a football club, and that’s why strikers cost so much money.’
