Shearer names Brighton, not Man City, as Arsenal's main title rivals
Alan Shearer believes Brighton, not Manchester City, pose the biggest threat to Arsenal's title defence this season. The former Premier League winner made the claim after Arsenal moved five points clear at the top following a hard fought 1-0 win over Hull City at the Emirates.
Manchester City's miserable run continued over the same weekend, with Enzo Maresca's side suffering a third successive league defeat to slip to third in the table. That result allowed Brighton to leapfrog City into second after Fabian Hurzeler's side beat Brentford 2-0, continuing an impressive start to the campaign that has already included league wins over both Arsenal and City.
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After ten games, no side in the division has scored more goals than Brighton, and only Arsenal have conceded fewer. Speaking to Betfair, Shearer explained why he rates the Seagulls above City, Liverpool and Chelsea as Arsenal's closest challengers.
“Brighton could be Arsenal's main challenge to the title this season,” Shearer said. “I think Liverpool are in transition. Chelsea, same thing. They still have plenty of work to do with those football clubs. Brighton have been incredible. The football that they're playing, I mean, in Europe too, whether that will hinder them the longer the season goes on I don't know, but they're managing really well at the minute. I don't think they're going to go away. I think they'll be around for the majority of the season.”
Gross plays down title talk
Not everyone at the Amex is getting carried away with the growing title chatter. Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross was asked last weekend whether his side could go toe to toe with Arsenal through to May and was quick to temper expectations.
“No, we're not, but we've had a really good start to the season,” Gross said. “It's the beginning of the season. You see the Premier League and the margins and you look at the results. We're not getting carried away or anything like that, every game we have to suffer and sometimes it's momentum. But we're really pleased to go into the international break like that.”
What's next
Both clubs return from the international break with contrasting fixtures. Brighton travel to Hull City, while Arsenal make the trip north to face Newcastle United at St James' Park.
Arsenal have shown defensive solidity as a cornerstone of their title push so far this season, conceding the fewest goals in the league. Whether Brighton's attacking form and European commitments under Hurzeler can be sustained across a gruelling second half of the campaign remains to be seen, but for now Shearer's assessment adds another layer to an increasingly unpredictable title race.
