David James has changed his mind about Arsenal after ‘questioning’ what was going on in the dressing room
Arsenal have won their last seven matches in all competitions, but yet the Gunners are still faced with doubters over their Premier League title charge.
Only Man City and Liverpool have taken points off Arsenal this season, as Mikel Arteta’s side sit four points clear at the top of the table.
Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace took advantage of Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat at Brentford, and Man City’s 1-0 loss at Aston Villa.
However, the Gunners’ title credentials have still been questioned by David James, as the north London club look to seal their first crown in over 20 years.
David James still not convinced by Arsenal
As per the Metro, [27 October], James believes Arsenal have made made progress from last season, but the Gunners can still improve their performances.
“I’d be foolish to say, no, I haven’t changed my mind about Arsenal with them at the top of the table. There’s something about Arsenal I really like,” James said.
“I like the numbers. They’ve improved in so many different areas. In the past, if they conceded, it was a weird stat for the majority of last season, that they would not score in the second-half if they conceded in the first-half.
| Games Played | 9 |
| Goals per match | 1.8 |
| Goals Conceded per match | 0.3 |
| Expected Goals Conceded | 5.3 |
| Clean Sheets | 6 |
“It was a really weird stat, and I just questioned what was going on in the changing room. Now that’s changed now to the point that they’ve even come back from losing positions at half-time to win games.
“You look at the Man City game where they were losing 1-0 early on, and they, if it had not been for some ridiculously good defending, would have won that game at the Emirates. So there are improvements there.
“I guess people might look at the Fulham game and think, well, actually, you’ve got the best opportunities here, and it’s still not quite what I expect for a side who seemingly are in a wonderful position.”
James makes Arsenal title verdict
James also thinks the Champions League may be a stumbling block in Arsenal’s title hopes.
“The test for them, as I’m sure many people will say, is now that they’re top of the table, how are they going to handle that?” James asked.
“There’s another caveat to this because last season they played 14 Champions League games which meant they played 14 Premier League games before those fixtures and they only won four and it appeared that there was a definite focus on the Champions League.
“Maybe that was because Liverpool started to run away with the title race quite early, but there seemed to be a lot of emphasis on the Champions League more so than the Premier League, especially towards the end of the season where there was a chance of obviously getting to the final.
“Now it’s how Mikel Arteta handles the balance of the Champions League and the Premier League, especially when you’re leading the Premier League.
“I don’t think Arsenal will win the title if that’s an answer, even if they’ve started well.
“I think the likes of Man City Chelsea and Liverpool will go into the last weeks of the season, if not the last game of the season, and possibly decide the title race.
“But it will be interesting with Arteta to see how he handles qualification for the Champions League and maintain that top position in the Premier League, and I don’t think they’ll be able to do it.“