- Arsenal moved up to second place on Saturday after defeat to Burnley
- But John Barnes doesn’t believe the Gunners have what it takes to win the title
- IAN LADYMAN: If I needed a new heart, I’d want Harry Maguire’s! Listen to the It’s all Kicking Off podcast
The Liverpool legend believes Arsenal are not serious title contenders this season and insists it is a race between Manchester City and Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta’s side continued their excellent start to the year as they defeated Burnley 5-0 to move up to second in the Premier League.
The win at Turf Moor came within a week of the Gunners beating West Ham 6-0 at the London Stadium.
However, Barnes is not convinced of Arsenal’s title credentials after they failed to cross the line in the latter stages of last season.
“City are the favourites, I make Liverpool the second favourites,” Barnes told Premier League Productions.
Arsenal continued their excellent start to the year by beating Burnley at Turf Moor
However, John Barnes believes the Gunners are not serious contenders to win the title
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‘Arsenal were in a better position last year, but since the start of the Premier League I have said: in March and April you are really going to look at who the runners and riders are, because you have teams like Aston Villa and Tottenham who seemed contenders) six weeks ago.
“When you come into late February/March it’s about can you just get a result, and Man City are all conquering, all dominant in that respect.
‘Liverpool is the biggest challenger for me because there are certain games where Liverpool have not played well, but have achieved a result.
Barnes added: “Arsenal have to play well to win and if they don’t play well they might not win. That’s why I still think, no matter how well they’re doing now, it’s between Man City and Liverpool.
‘If Liverpool win today the pressure will increase. Man City will be able to handle that pressure. City won’t be nervous about Liverpool moving away from them because they are such a great team. If Liverpool play first, it will affect Arsenal, but not Man City.”
Barnes insists it will be a two-horse race between Manchester City and Liverpool for the title
Liverpool remain two points clear at the top after beating Brentford 4-1 in west London on Saturday.
However, it was Manchester City who dropped points this weekend after being held to a 1-1 draw by Chelsea at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola’s team will have the chance to close the gap to the top to one point on Tuesday evening when they host Brentford.