Manchester City will need to “play on the moon” if they win a fifth successive Premier League title, says ex-Arsenal and Chelsea star William Gallas.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Domestic dominance enjoyed at Etihad StadiumArteta's side have emerged as closest challengersBid for title glory in 2024-25 about to be openedGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Pep Guardiola saw his side make history in 2023-24 when becoming the first team to win four-in-a-row, with more domestic dominance being enjoyed at the Etihad Stadium. After several years of seeing Liverpool provide their toughest opposition, Arsenal have now emerged as City’s closest challengers.
AdvertisementWHAT GALLAS SAID
Gallas believes the Gunners can topple City in 2024-25, with somebody needing to halt the relentless march of a trophy-winning machine that has enjoyed unworldly success. Former France international Gallas told : “Arsenal will definitely be motivated to win the Premier League this season because they don’t want to experience losing the Premier League title again on the last day of the season. That would have been difficult for the Arsenal players to accept. When you get that close, you start running through the season in your head and thinking about what you could have done differently. When the Arsenal players were on their holidays, they would have been thinking about this, trust me.
“Arsenal were brilliant last season, but to beat Manchester City, you must be perfect. There were two or three mistakes that cost Arsenal the title – they won’t want to make those again. There is a lot of respect between Arsenal and Manchester City. The players and the managers know each other really well. They will be pushing each other again, but only one team can be crowned champions. The Premier League needs someone to stop Manchester City. For the league, there has to be a new champion this season. Maybe they will have to go and play on the moon if Manchester City wins five titles in a row because there won’t be a team on the earth that can compete with them.”
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Mikel Arteta has reinforced his ranks again this summer, bringing in Italy international defender Riccardo Calafiori, but Gallas said when asked who will be Arsenal’s key man in another title quest: “I think Arsenal’s most important player this season will be Martin Odegaard. He is such a special player and there isn’t anyone that can replace him in the Arsenal squad. Yes, Arsenal have talented midfielders, but they don’t have a player that is on Martin Odegaard’s level who operates as the team’s playmaker. He makes things tick. He creates most of the chances in open play for Arsenal’s attacking players and he also scores important goals.
“When he can’t play because he is injured then Arsenal are not as fluid. He is the one player that Arsenal would be most impacted by if you took him out of the team. He carries a lot of the creative burden in this team. He works tirelessly in midfield off the ball. If you look at his development since he joined the club on a permanent basis, he has improved every single year. There can be no doubt that Martin Odegaard is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. If Arsenal want to win the title, then they will need their captain to be at his best for the entirety of the season.”
WHAT NEXT?
Arsenal will open their 2024-25 campaign on home soil, with Wolves set to pay a visit to Emirates Stadium on Saturday. A testing run from there will see the Gunners face Aston Villa, north London neighbours Tottenham and reigning champions City through their first five games.
