Looking at Arsenal and City’s season so far, how do you think the Premier League title race will play out?
I think Arsenal are reaching their potential and the season they are having is the natural progression of the last three or four campaigns. They have found stability, energy and synergy in the team. They have found their cruising speed that allows them to be competitive, whether in the Premier League, the Champions League or the cups. They have expanded the squad to be competitive, since that was what caused them a problem in the past: it was the number of injuries at key moments.
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I’m thinking of William Saliba. When Saliba was injured last season, it was a big problem. Defensive stability was lacking and it seems that now they are solid defensively, and that even in difficult matches they manage to come out of the game with a point even when they are not at their best. That’s the difference between this year so far and previous years. When it’s hard, they still manage to win. It is the mark of great teams, of champions. You can’t play brilliantly every week; Fans’ expectations in terms of playing style cannot always be met. There are many games and many different competitions; Players will begin to feel some fatigue. But despite everything, they manage to continue winning, to cope with the pressure exerted on them by Manchester City, Aston Villa and other teams.
As for City, I think that after so much success over all these years, it is normal that they experience a little downturn. They set the bar so high that when they don’t meet those standards, everyone is shocked. But after winning so many trophies in four or five years, after rebuilding the team (because it is a reconstruction), little by little they are becoming competitive, today they are second and not far away, so the league is not a closed matter. There is not much between the teams and it would only take one slip from Arsenal for the pressure to return. So there is still a lot to play for.
This exclusive interview is republished from Receive French football news and can be found HERE
Bacary Sagna was speaking with GFFN courtesy of talkSPORT Bet on online slots
GFN | Jeremy Smith