The English analysts believe that Liverpool are once again the favorites for the title this season. Arsenal have the squad to challenge Arne Slot’s team, but manager Mikel Arteta is, according to them, too defensive in his approach.
Arsenal’s meeting with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday was billed as one of the biggest early-season tests for both sides.
The game had all the tension and tactical caution one would expect from two title challengers, but for much of the ninety minutes it seemed City would edge it. Arsenal only managed to rescue a point with a dramatic equalizer deep in the 90th minute, sparking a roar from the home crowd but also leaving a lingering sense of frustration. The 1–1 result, just a few weeks after the Gunners had already stumbled with a costly defeat to Liverpool where Dominik Szoboszlai’s inch-perfect free kick separated the sides, means Arsenal are already five points behind league leaders Liverpool after only five rounds of matches. That gap has inevitably reignited debates about whether Mikel Arteta’s men can truly push for the title this season.
Former Manchester United defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was quick to highlight the difference between Liverpool and their rivals. Neville sees Arne Slot’s team as the standout favorites for the Premier League crown once again. “They sometimes look exhausted and they’re not playing anywhere near their absolute best yet,” Neville explained, “but they carry this belief with them, a mentality that they can always find a way. And they’ve got a manager who knows when to crank things up a notch when they need a goal.”
Neville pointed to Liverpool’s growing reputation for late winners as evidence of that resilience. Time and again, Slot’s side have thrown caution to the wind in the final minutes, pressing opponents high and forcing errors under relentless pressure. “They’re not afraid to take risks,” Neville continued. “They’ll grab the other team by the throat when the moment comes, and that’s why they’ve had so many late victories already this season. They’re a very, very good side. And the scary thing? Their marquee signings, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, still aren’t playing anywhere near their peak form. Once they click, this team will be even more dangerous.”
For Neville, those qualities—belief, scoring power, and experience make Liverpool the team to beat. “With a five-point lead so early in the campaign, they’re the ones everyone has to chase,” he said. “They’ve got the maturity of champions, they know how to win ugly when they need to, and they never look like they’ve given up hope. That combination is priceless in a title race. They can go head-to-head with anyone.”
Jamie Carragher, another Sky Sports voice and a Liverpool legend, offered a more nuanced view. While he acknowledged Arsenal’s progress and quality, he emphasized the one thing they lack compared to Liverpool. “Arsenal are a brilliant team. In fact, if you ask me, they have the best squad in the Premier League,” Carragher admitted. “Arteta has built a side that, on paper, can win both the Premier League and even the Champions League. But in the really big matches, he seems to play it too safe, too reactive. He adapts too much to what the opponent is doing rather than imposing his own game.”
Carragher compared Arteta’s cautious approach to that of José Mourinho in his prime. “Mourinho was the same. He was pragmatic and sometimes defensive, but he still won titles. So it doesn’t mean Arteta can’t win the league. But right now, it feels like he’s keeping the handbrake on too often, especially in games like this.”
The former Liverpool defender was particularly critical of Arsenal’s first-half performance against City, describing it as timid and overly conservative. According to Carragher, the Gunners only began to look like themselves once Arteta made attacking changes after the interval. Substitutions involving Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka transformed the team’s dynamic, pushing City back and eventually leading to the dramatic 1–1 equalizer. “If he had set the team up that way from the start, I genuinely believe Arsenal could have won,” Carragher said. “They had City rattled in the second half, but by then they were chasing.”
Roy Keane, the former Manchester United captain, echoed Carragher’s frustration. Known for his uncompromising views, Keane argued that great managers must be willing to gamble. “The managers I played for always took risks,” Keane recalled. “Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson didn’t go out just to avoid losing they wanted to win every single game. They’d take a chance, make a bold change, and more often than not, they got their reward. Arteta, for me, is still too defensive-minded. He needs to loosen up if Arsenal are going to get over the line.”
The broader debate now centers on whether Arsenal can combine their technical quality with the ruthless mentality that defines champions. Liverpool, with their never-say-die attitude and proven ability to grind out late victories, appear to have found that formula under Slot. Arsenal, meanwhile, continue to wrestle with the fine balance between control and aggression, a dilemma that could shape their entire season.
With only five games played, the title race is still in its infancy, but the early signs are clear: Liverpool are already setting the pace, while Arsenal and City are playing catch-up. The big question is whether Arteta will be bold enough to take the risks required to keep his side in contention or whether, as Carragher and Keane suggest, his caution could be the very thing that costs them when it matters most.
