Multiple Premier League champion Roy Keane has now dialled back on his pre-season predictions, admitting he considers Arsenal the biggest threat to Manchester City's title defence.
The Gunners finished fifth last season, ending the campaign 24 points adrift of champions City. However, after bringing in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from the title winners, they sit top of the pile after nine games.
While City remain unbeaten, Mikel Arteta's Gunners have them pipped by a point after winning eight of their first nine matches. The most recent of those was a hard-fought victory over a Liverpool side tipped by Keane to challenge before the season began, and their fast start has been enough for the Irishman to change his tune.
At the start of the season, Keane didn't expect anyone else to come close to last season's top two. While City pipped Liverpool to the 2021-22 title by a single point, the gap to the rest of the teams in the league was considerable.
"Just Liverpool and Man City," Keane told Sky Sports in August when asked how many teams he felt had the potential to challenge for the title. "I think they're a level ahead of everyone else. We've seen that with recruitment.
"Even the game last week, I know it's only the Community Shield and pre-season, I just can't see the other teams getting near them for the title. There will be improvement at Tottenham and Manchester United have to be better than last year, but the simple answer in terms of winning the league: Liverpool and City. I can't see beyond it."
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Keane also felt Tottenham had the best chance of threatening the top two, thanks to their firepower in attack. "They've got two brilliant goalscorers if they stay fit then Spurs have a great chance in terms of doing better than Arsenal, Chelsea, United," he said.
Now, though, he is firmly banging the drum for Arsenal. Arteta's team are one point ahead of the champions and four clear of Spurs, though there is a long way to go in the season.
"They are playing with confidence, they have got some physicality," the pundit said of Arsenal on Monday Night Football. "They have good experience in midfield and young players full of talent.
"They are scoring goals, they have an electric ground and at the moment they are the biggest challenge to Man City," he added. Arsenal had been due to face Manchester City in October, only for the game to be rescheduled to allow the Gunners to fulfil a rearranged Europa League fixture against PSV Eindhoven.
Next up for Arsenal in the league is a game away at Leeds United, where they won 4-1 last season. City's next Premier League game, meanwhile, comes against a Liverpool side who will be without Luis Diaz after the forward suffered an injury at Arsenal.
