Arsenal legend Thierry Henry thinks his old club need look no further than Liverpool if they get carried away with their early-season form.
The Gunners were expected to improve after another summer spending spree, but not to the extent which leaves them top of the Premier League after a quarter of the campaign. Mikel Arteta’s side have dropped just five points from a possible 33 and are two clear of champions Manchester City.
However, there were some signs of fatigue last time out as Arsenal slumped to a 1-1 draw with struggling Southampton. Having taken the lead before the break on the south coast, a tired Gunners were held after conceding in the second half.
Arteta refused to use that as an excuse but it was a result which brought City, who have won four of the last five titles back into striking distance.
And two-time Premier League winner Henry has admitted that while he is hopeful of a long-awaited title, Liverpool’s attempts to unseat City prove it is a daunting task. The Reds have eclipsed 90 points three times in the last five years, only to be pipped by Pep Guardiola’s side on all-but one occasion.
“It’s 11 games, you celebrate the title after 38 games, not before that,” Henry told CBS Sports. “That’s me, I have always had that mentality.
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“What we are talking about right now with Arsenal is hope. Manchester City can talk, Man City can be loud because we have seen it before with them and we know what it takes for a team to stay with them.
“Look at Liverpool… twice they tried to maintain the rhythm of Man City but couldn’t do it. So, let’s see what’s going to happen to us. I won’t get carried away. But we have hope and I have a lot of hope at the minute.”
Arsenal take on PSV in the Europa League on Thursday night, before returning to Premier League action vs Nottingham Forest at the weekend. They then have another four games in a fortnight before the midseason break for this winter’s World Cup.
Following the draw with Saints, doubts over the strength in depth within Arsenal’s squad were raised to Arteta, who refused to use that as a reason behind the dropped points.
He explained: “We have the same that we had a month ago, two days ago and the same as what we’re going to have next week. I don’t like to have any excuses.
“In the second half, we could have played much better, and we could have won much more comfortably than we did, and it’s completely down to us. I think the team looked really fresh at the start. I put it more down to the way we played. We should have played better in the second half.”
