William Saliba has made an honest admission about the difference between Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
After the Gunners destroyed Manchester City 5-1 in early February, it looked as though they and the Reds would slug it out right to the end of the season for the honour of displacing Pep Guardiola’s side as champions of England.
However, while Arne Slot’s team have taken maximum points from their last three league games, their north London rivals have managed just two draws and a loss, which now leaves them 15 points off the pace with a game in hand.
Saliba makes honest Arsenal admission
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night – with the Gunners effectively through to the quarter-finals already after winning the first leg 7-1 – Saliba acknowledged that his team have been second best to Liverpool in the Premier League this season.
The 23-year-old said (via BBC Sport): “If they [LFC] are first, it is because they did something that we didn’t do. Of course there is a big gap. We have to keep going. They are so good as well.
“I think this season, we don’t deserve to be at the top. We have to keep going. We are second and there is a Champions League as well. We will push.”
While Arsenal have faltered, Liverpool have accelerated
Credit to Saliba for his gracious comments about Arsenal’s position in relation to Liverpool’s – he’s certainly shown more class than Mikel Arteta, who angrily stormed out of an interview after being asked about the title race following his team’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United on Sunday.
The Frenchman realises that, while the Gunners haven’t been helped by a spate of injuries to their forward line, they haven’t shown enough guile or gumption to win against West Ham, Nottingham Forest or the Red Devils over the past three weeks.
Had they beaten the Irons, they would’ve closed the gap on us to five points ahead of our visit to Man City, intensifying the pressure after a fortnight in which the Reds had drawn away to Everton and Aston Villa.
Instead, while Liverpool have gone from strength to strength in the meantime, Arsenal have paid the price for their attacking shortcomings (save for the PSV battering) and fallen well short of the Premier League leaders.
There could still be a high-stakes joust between the top two if they both reach the Champions League semi-finals, in which they’re pre-determined to face each other should they get that far. If that happens, let’s hope it ends the same way as the domestic title race has been going recently!
