Rio Ferdinand says Arsenal are better placed to win PL title over Liverpool due to Gabriel and William Saliba
The recent comments by Rio Ferdinand, praising Arsenal’s defensive duo Gabriel and William Saliba, have ignited discussions about the Gunners’ Premier League title aspirations, in comparison to that of Liverpool.
His analysis, particularly after Arsenal’s narrow victory over Brentford, emphasizes the formidable partnership between Gabriel and Saliba, and their crucial role in Arsenal’s title chase.
Rio Ferdinand noted their comfort in one-on-one situations, calmness with the ball, and effectiveness in working together, especially against teams like Brentford that pose significant attacking threats.
The Manchester United legend actually believes that the presence of the duo makes Mikel Arteta’s side much more likely to challenge Manchester City for the title than the likes of Liverpool.
Liverpool are just a point behind Manchester City and two behind Arsenal in the Premier League standings. The team’s ability to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City, considered the clear favorite, demonstrates their competitiveness in the title race.
Liverpool’s draw at the Etihad was seen as a positive result, yet some pundits, including Ferdinand, speaking to TNT Sports, continue to underestimate Liverpool’s chances against Manchester City, as quoted by Euro Sport
“The two centre-backs, they’ll be the reason why I would put them ahead of Liverpool in the title race to challenge someone like Manchester City, because you can trust those two implicitly at the moment. They’re bang in form and that partnership is only going to grow the way they’re playing at the moment”
Ferdinand’s focus on Arsenal’s defensive strengths seems to neglect Liverpool’s own formidable defensive lineup. Liverpool’s defensive duo of Virgil van Dijk and Joël Matip, who have previously led the team to European glory, are in excellent form.
Additionally, Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez provide strong backup options. It’s also worth noting that Arsenal’s failure to win the title last season was partly attributed to Saliba’s injury.
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Moreover, Liverpool has consistently been Manchester City’s closest challenger during Pep Guardiola’s tenure, making it unreasonable to dismiss their potential this season. One can’t help but disagree with Ferdinand on this.
