Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has offered advice to Liverpool and Arsenal regarding their strategies for winning the Premier League title this season.
Liverpool, who secured a dramatic 99th-minute victory against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, maintain their position at the top of the table by a narrow margin following Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Manchester United in the derby on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, led by manager Mikel Arteta, are set to face bottom club Sheffield United on Monday. A victory at Bramall Lane could see them close the gap to Liverpool by two points and trail Manchester City by just one point.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said: “I genuinely think that Liverpool and Arsenal have to think they are going to beat Manchester City.
“I think they have to think that way, to create this monumental shift in belief that City have [that] they are going to win the league, that this is their time of year. They’re experienced, they have won three on the bounce…”
The ex-England right-back elaborated that while at United, the teams clinching victory over the Red Devils for the title were those boldly winning at Old Trafford, emphasising a proactive approach rather than settling for draws in crucial top-tier encounters.
“I think that is what Liverpool and Arsenal are going to have to do to take the belief away from this Pep Guardiola team because they will be thinking that it is ominous at this moment in time,” he said.
Next Sunday, Liverpool will host City in the Premier League, while Arsenal are scheduled to visit the Etihad on March 31st. These two upcoming matches are significant as they could heavily influence the outcome of the title race this season.
Last season, City staged an impressive run to surpass Arsenal in the title race. This season, City have continued to display fine form, winning 10 matches and drawing two in the Premier League since suffering a 1-0 loss at Aston Villa in early December.