Richards and Redknapp question if anyone can catch Arsenal after City loss
Manchester City's title defence took another hit on Saturday as they fell 3-1 to Nottingham Forest, prompting Jamie Redknapp and Micah Richards to question whether anyone in the Premier League is capable of stopping Arsenal from retaining their title.
Discussing the result on Sky Sports, the pair broke down City's defeat and what it means for the wider title picture, with Arsenal currently sitting in pole position as champions looking to defend their crown.
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City stumble again
Forest's win over Pep Guardiola's side continues a difficult run of results for the champions, who have struggled for consistency this season. Liam Delap was among the standout performers for Forest, scoring in the victory that has only added to the sense that City are drifting further away from the summit.
For Arsenal, results like this offer encouragement without any effort of their own. Mikel Arteta's side have built a reputation in recent seasons for grinding out results even when not at their fluent best, and with City continuing to drop points against sides outside the traditional top six, the gap at the top of the table looks increasingly difficult to bridge for their closest rivals.
Can anyone close the gap?
Redknapp and Richards used the Sky Sports segment to pose the broader question of whether any club in the Premier League currently has the squad depth and consistency to mount a serious challenge to Arsenal over the course of a full season. City's inconsistency this term, highlighted again by the Forest result, has only strengthened the argument that Arsenal are the team to beat.
Arsenal have shown over the past couple of seasons that they are capable of sustaining a title charge from start to finish, and last season's triumph proved they could get over the line when it mattered most. Retaining the title is a different challenge entirely, but results elsewhere in the division, particularly City's dropped points, are doing Arsenal no harm at all.
With the business end of the season still a long way off, there remains plenty of football to be played and plenty of twists likely before the title is decided. But as other contenders continue to falter, Arsenal's position as favourites to go back to back only looks stronger with each passing weekend.
