Merson claims Arsenal will 'know' title fate by December 13
Paul Merson believes Arsenal's Premier League title destiny will become clear within weeks, pointing to a brutal run of fixtures that includes Liverpool, Manchester City, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur before the middle of December.
Arsenal head to Anfield on Sunday having won seven of their opening eight league matches this season, but the club was knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League Two side Fleetwood Town in midweek and will be without a couple of key players for the trip to Merseyside.
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Speaking on Sky Sports, Merson laid out why this stretch of the calendar matters so much. “What a November Arsenal have, by the way. They've got a hard month, including the start of December,” he said. “You'll know by December 13 if Arsenal will win the Premier League. Because there's a saying: after the hard games, come the easy games.”
Merson on Saka's importance
Merson also addressed the impact of losing Bukayo Saka for any length of time, arguing his decision making is underrated by critics who question his recent form.
“If Bukayo Saka is injured for this period, he's going to be missed. People say he isn't playing well, I think he's a decision maker, he constantly makes those right decisions week in, week out,” Merson said. “Now there's Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze coming in and playing in his place. It's all well and good them coming in and playing for a couple, then sitting out for a couple, but when you're asking them to play six to eight weeks on the trot, that's a real tester.”
Merson backs Liverpool at Anfield
Despite his confidence in Arsenal's title credentials, Merson is tipping Liverpool to win Sunday's clash, framing it as a must win game for Arne Slot's side if they want to stay in contention.
“Liverpool are starting to cook a little bit, but they have got to win this Sunday if they want to be in the Premier League title race,” Merson said. “If they don't win, they stay six points behind at least and still have to go to the Emirates. You're then asking Arsenal to lose two football matches without you losing one. And given Liverpool will lose more games this season, you're then asking Arsenal to lose three or four games for the rest of the season. That's a lot of games.”
As Football365 reports, Merson's comments came as part of his preview for the Anfield fixture, with Shearer separately offering his own prediction on the title race ahead of the same match.
Arsenal's run through November and into mid December will go a long way toward shaping how the title race looks heading into the new year, with Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs all standing between Arteta's side and a potential cushion at the top of the table.
