Paul Merson says £67.5m Arsenal star will be the ‘X-factor’ in title race with Man City | Football
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Arsenal faced Chelsea in a crucial Premier League match after a dominant 4-1 victory over Tottenham, with Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both scoring twice. Mikel Arteta’s side aimed to maintain their title lead against Manchester City, who closed the gap to two points with a recent 1-0 win over Leeds United. The match occurred on Sunday.
Paul Merson is confident that Eberechi Eze can be the ‘X-factor’ for Arsenal as they aim to fend off Manchester City in the Premier League title race. This statement was made ahead of Arsenal’s crucial match against Chelsea, scheduled for Sunday, where they will attempt to maintain their lead at the top of the table.
The title race has been competitive, particularly after Manchester City’s recent 1-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday evening, which brought them within two points of Arsenal. The Gunners, who are currently two points clear, will be tested against fifth-place Chelsea, who are striving to secure a Champions League spot for next season.
Merson shared his insights during a segment on Sky Sports, advising Arsenal to attack Chelsea. He remarked, “For me, I think they’ve got to take the game to Chelsea. Chelsea will probably sit back like they did in the semi-final and soak it up and try and get Arsenal on the counter-attack.” He highlighted the significance of this match, saying, “I think if Arsenal win this game, you could tick another big team off that they’ve beaten.”
Arsenal are entering this encounter with confidence following a commanding 4-1 win over Tottenham last weekend. Merson emphasised that Eze, in particular, is poised to play a pivotal role for the Gunners in their final ten matches of the season, stating, “If these two hit fire until the end of the season, Arsenal win the league if they can go and be 8 out of 10 every week.”
However, Merson also expressed uncertainty regarding Eze’s standing in Mikel Arteta’s plans, suggesting that “No, I don’t think he does trust a lot of people” in the context of player selections. He pointed to previous examples of players who have struggled to maintain their places in the team following subpar performances.
Arsenal’s upcoming fixture against Chelsea is crucial as they seek to solidify their position in the title race with only ten games remaining.