Arsenal legend Alan Smith says only two teams can win the Premier League this season
metro.co.uk · 49 minutes ago
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith (Picture: Getty) Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith is confident that only two clubs will be in the running to win the Premier League this season. Following three successive second-place finishes, Mikel Arteta finally guided Arsenal to their first league title in 22 years last season. And over the summer, the Gunners have looked to strengthen their squad further as they prepare to begin their title defence. The early signings of Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier have been bolstered by the marquee arrival of Bruno Guimaraes, with Arsenal still looking to add depth in defence and in wide forward areas before the deadline. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. But it has been a summer of upheaval for several of Arsenal’s rivals, with a slew of managerial changes ahead of the new season. Enzo Maresca is back at Manchester City, while Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso have been tasked with improving the fortunes of Liverpool and Chelsea after their respective poor domestic campaigns last season. And elsewhere, Michael Carrick is preparing for his first full season at Manchester United after arriving at Old Trafford midway through last season. Arsenal are bidding to defend their Premier League title (Picture: Getty) But despite all that change over the off-season, former Gunners striker Smith believes the title race could well be a repeat of last year’s between Arsenal and City. ‘I think Man City are the key challenger [to Arsenal],’ he told Metro via BestBettingSites.co.uk. ‘Obviously, they have a new manager, so that puts a little question mark in there about how Maresca can settle with his players,’ but I still see them being the only challenger. ‘There’s a whole host of others just below that, but I’d say it’s [between Arsenal and] City at the moment.’ Enzo Maresca has replaced Pep Guardiola at Manchester City (Picture: PA) As well as Pep Guardiola, City have seen stalwarts such as John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Nathan Ake leave the club this summer. World Cup winner Rodri also looks poised to leave for Barcelona, and Smith reckons those departures might give Arsenal the edge in the title race. ‘I’ve got to go for Arsenal winning it again; let’s hope,’ he added. Smith's predicted top-six for this season Arsenal Manchester City Manchester United Liverpool Chelsea Aston Villa ‘Then City. Manchester United, they finished third last year, and I think they’re going to be better off this year. ‘Carrick is getting his feet under the table, so maybe Man United third, Liverpool fourth, and Chelsea perhaps having a much better season than they did last time under Alonso. ‘They have made some good signings, so I’d see that as the top five, then that sixth spot I’d say Aston Villa are favourites.’ Arsenal and City will face off against each other this weekend in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The Gunners then kick off their league campaign against newly promoted Coventry City on Friday, with City hosting Bournemouth in their first game of the Maresca era. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source