Gary Neville believes Arsenal are the team to beat in the Premier League this season, despite strong results from Manchester United and Chelsea.
Neville’s main reason is Arsenal’s defence. He feels Mikel Arteta has built a backline that is much stronger and more settled than those of their main rivals.
Arsenal now have a deep group of defenders, including Ezri Konsa, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The former Manchester United defender believes Arsenal have effectively decided to focus on becoming the strongest defensive team in the league. In his view, that defensive strength could be enough to win them another Premier League title.
Neville also pointed to weaknesses among Arsenal’s rivals. Chelsea have plenty of talented defenders but, according to Neville, lack the same settled defensive unit. He also questioned Liverpool’s options at full-back and Manchester United’s defensive depth.
For Neville, Arsenal stand out because their defence already looks like a well-organised unit, with David Raya behind a settled back four. He believes that gives them an advantage over the other title contenders.
Arsenal were also set to face Aston Villa, with a chance to move level with the teams already on maximum points. Neville believes another strong defensive performance would further support his view that Arsenal remain the team to beat.
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