Michael Owen believes Arsenal are the “only danger” to Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge.Liverpool currently sit seven points clear at the top of the table, having suffered just one defeat so far this season under new boss Arne Slot. Arsenal, meanwhile, are fourth but could jump up to second if they beat Ipswich at the Emirates this evening.
That would leave them six points behind Liverpool, who will have a game in hand, and Owen believes they are the only team that can realistically pose a threat to the Reds. However, he also admits Liverpool are “streaking clear” of their rivals and says he would be “astonished” if they did not go on to win the league.
“They’re [Liverpool] absolutely loving it aren’t they, you can only imagine that dressing room,” Owen told Premier League Productions after Liverpool came from behind to beat Leicester 3-1 on Boxing Day.
“People will say, they [Liverpool] will come out and say, ‘we don’t look at other teams, we just concentrate on ourselves’, and they’re right to do that and they are concentrating on themselves, they are motoring along really well.
“But everyone around them is falling away at the same time, Chelsea lost today, Manchester City dropped points again, and they’re probably out of it now. When I look at the league table I’d be astonished if Liverpool don’t go on to win it now.
“For me it’s Arsenal and Arsenal only in terms of danger to them [Liverpool]. But I think they’re only a danger to themselves, the way they are playing, unless they implode themselves, unless they have a Manchester City moment, it looks like they’re streaking clear.”
And Slot has admitted it is “far too early to be celebrating”, despite Liverpool’s impressive lead. “It’s a bit of a boring answer but as a manager you go game by game – you know how many games you have to play,” the Dutchman insisted.”So many teams have so much quality.
The league table is something we are aware of but we also understand how many games there are still to play. Twenty one games from the end [of the season]… it’s far too early to already be celebrating.”
