Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart says that Manchester City are “definitely the favourites” for the Premier League title.
However, speaking to BetMGM, van der Vaart claims that Liverpool, not Arsenal, will be Pep Guardiola’s side’s main challengers this season:
“Many think Arsenal will be the ones to serve it up to Manchester City, but I don’t agree. City and Liverpool look the two best sides to me.”
“It’s so hard to keep going again and again, season after season, and I look at the Arsenal team in the long-term and worry about them. I can’t see Arsenal winning the Premier League this season.”
“I was really impressed by Liverpool when they beat Manchester United – they looked so stable and everything looked very easy. City are definitely the favourites, but don’t write off Liverpool.”
Van der Vaart’s Spurs affiliation may be clouding his judgement
While the Dutchman is correct that the Premier League champions should be regarded as favourites to retain their title, his comments about Arsenal and Liverpool are contentious.
There is a case to say that the Gunners may struggle more due to the injuries they have sustained in recent weeks, but Mikel Arteta’s men have shown they are made of stern stuff over the past couple of years.
In terms of Liverpool, you can’t really make definitive judgements about their title credentials at this stage. Arne Slot has been in charge for just three games.
City could move further ahead of Arsenal this weekend
Guardiola’s team will take on Brentford at home on Saturday afternoon and, if they do get the three points, they could move five ahead of the Gunners.
With their title rivals facing a tricky trip to Tottenham a day later, and with a weakened squad to boot, a gap could soon emerge between the two sides in the table.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
