Michael Owen has recently said that he believes Arsenal will not win the title this season, instead tipping them for third place.
The former England striker, speaking in his Colossus Bets column, predicted Chelsea to win the title, and his former club Manchester United to finish second.
Whilst the now-commentator agrees that this is the best Arsenal squad that there has been for a long time, he explains the reasoning behind his decision, saying: “I think it will be pretty much more of the same for Arsenal, however much they are being talked up in certain quarters.
“They probably do have their best squad in a long while, I’ll give you that, and Cech in goal will give them more solidity. And I think their forward line is good enough for a domestic title challenge, if not the Champions League.
“I like Giroud – though I am not sure Walcott is a centre forward just yet – but I look at their squad, and the opposition, and I just don’t see them as title winners.”
However, the Arsenal faithful should take this prediction with a pinch of salt – after all, Michael Owen doesn’t exactly have the best track record. For the past two seasons, he predicted the north London side to finish no higher than 5th place, and has been proven wrong on both occasions by Arsène Wenger and his men.
Despite the words of the former Liverpool striker, the signs are there to suggest that Arsenal can mount a serious title challenge – with the squad, mentality and quality all appearing the correct balance. So, perhaps, it’s best to leave Michael Owen with his column this time round, and hopefully let the players on the pitch do the talking instead.
