David James makes new Premier League title prediction with Arsenal and Manchester City
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James has claimed Erling Haaland could be an obstacle in Manchester City’s bid to beat Arsenal in the Premier League title race this season.
James thinks the distribution of goals across the team might be more beneficial to a team’s chances of winning the league than having one player score all the goals. Haaland has been City’s top scorer this season with 28 goals in 26 league appearances.
Phil Foden is second with nine goals in 24 Premier League games. Arsenal, on the other hand, have three players who have scored 10 or more La Liga goals this season – Gabriel Martinelli (13), Bukayo Saka (12) and Martin Odegaard (10).
James told Topratedcasinos (h/t Metro):
“The reality is that the top scorers don’t win the league. Man City have the top scorer… but I think that hurts the team’s productivity. If you look at Arsenal, Bukayo Saka is their top scorer, but Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah all shared the goals, just like City did last season when they won the league.
The former England keeper added:
“Now that Man City have this number nine, I think it would have been more beneficial to spread the goals this season than to have this dominant player. I still think Arsenal are the favorites to win the league.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (R)
James concluded:
“It would almost take a catastrophic failure on Arsenal’s part for City to win the league. Obviously City are playing against Arsenal, which gives them a great chance, but it is up to Arsenal to lose.”
The Gunners have 69 points from 28 games so far this season, eight more than runners-up Manchester City who have a game in hand. James’s aforementioned comments, meanwhile, are true up to a point.
The top goalscorers of the last nine Premier League seasons have not come from teams that have won the Scudetto. Arsenal vs Manchester City showdown at Etihad could be crucial in PL title race
Arsenal’s bid for their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 season could culminate in their league game against Manchester City on April 26.
The fact that Cityzens will be playing at Etihad automatically gives them an edge in the game. The North London giants haven’t beaten City in the Premier League since December 2015.
Manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping his former club drop a few points ahead of the clash of the two teams at the end of April. The Sky Blues are also active in the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup. The Gunners, meanwhile, have only the league to focus on after being knocked out of all cup competitions this season.