Ex-Manchester City captain Richard Dunne believes it could be a wide-open race for the Premier League title this campaign.
The Cityzens (along with Arsenal) have dropped a lot of points already and, speaking to Gambling Zone, Dunne says it could lead to a closely fought battle at the top of the table:
“With the way the season has started, I think there’s going to be maybe a couple more teams who are capable of putting themselves in the title race with the likes of Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal because the league is so competitive and every team is capable of taking points and winning games.”
“Chelsea can keep themselves involved. They seem to have really got themselves together for the first time in ages because, for the last few years, they were all over the place. They’ve really got themselves together, they’re playing really well and they’ve obviously got a really strong squad. I think they can put together a decent season this year.”
“We know the issues that Man City and Arsenal have had in terms of not being at their best this season. I think that will happen to Liverpool at some stage in the season as well; they will have a little dip. I think the gap will be closer between the top teams this season. I think the season is set up for an exciting title race and hopefully, there will be three or four involved in it.”
City do tend to start the season slowly
This time last year after 11 matches, Pep Guardiola’s side had accrued 27 points, which is only 4 more than this season.
The Premier League champions do usually come on strong after Christmas but there are other mitigating factors (such as injuries) that may make things a lot more difficult this time around.
What are the bookies saying?
The bookmakers disagree with Dunne in that many don’t see Chelsea really being in with a shot of winning the title as things stand.
Some betting firms have priced the Blues as long as 22/1, and that is not a surprise considering they are currently nine points adrift of current leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal are the same distance behind the Reds but they do have a good record in recent years in terms of sustaining a title challenge. Most bookies have the Gunners at 10/3 or 7/2. Ultimately many feel it will come down to two contenders: current favourites Liverpool and City.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
