Former Manchester City defender, Micah Richards, has made a bold prediction about the outcome of this year's Premier League title race. According to him, the upcoming Liverpool game could be a deciding factor in whether Arsenal or Manchester City clinches the title.
Arsenal recently demonstrated their dominance in the Premier League by thrashing Leeds United 4-0. This victory ended their three-game streak without a win and strengthened their grip on the trophy. Prior to this match, they had drawn with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest before suffering a loss against Manchester United. These results left many fans questioning if Arsenal was about to lose its advantage in the title race.
However, Mikel Arteta’s team responded emphatically at Elland Road by scoring four goals against Leeds United. This victory allowed them to temporarily extend their lead over Man City and Aston Villa by seven points. Despite having games in hand on Sunday, both Man City and Aston Villa failed to close the gap with Arsenal. Man City squandered a two-goal lead resulting in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham while Aston Villa lost 1-0 against ten-man Brentford.
Given these results and considering Arsenal’s current lead along with inconsistent performances from Man City and Aston Villa, both Richards and Gary Lineker predict that the Premier League trophy will head back to Emirates Stadium for the first time since 2004.
The deciding game
Micah Richards still holds out hope for his former club but admits that he will 'concede that the title race is over' if they fail to beat Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday. When asked whether he still believed Manchester City could win this season's Premier League during "The Rest is Football" podcast interview, Richards stated: ‘I’m still optimistic until next week.'
Micah Richards, Manchester City legend, said:
‘I think Liverpool are going to cause Man City problems. If City play like they did in the second half at Tottenham, Liverpool will cause them all sorts of problems. As soon as teams raise the tempo and energy against Man City it’s stark. Man City didn’t know how to deal with it.
‘I wouldn’t rule them out yet but I think it’s the Liverpool game. You look at the game in April between Arsenal and Man City, if there’s three points in it then that’s the game. But if Man City don’t win next week and Arsenal beat Sunderland at home, that’s when I’ll concede the title race is over. It hurt me today watching Man City because normally they have the answers.’
The upcoming Liverpool vs Manchester City match is set to be a crucial one in determining the outcome of the Premier League title race. If Liverpool emerges victorious, it could potentially hand Arsenal their first Premier League title since 2004. Regardless of the outcome, this season has been filled with thrilling matches and unexpected results, making it a memorable one for football fans worldwide.
