Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher Talk Up Arsenal Title Challenge

Football legends Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher have both claimed Arsenal are capable of winning the Premier League title this season.

The duo were speaking on Sky Sports in the wake of the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, a game in which Arsene Wenger’s side turned in their best performance of the season.

Carragher thinks Arsenal will have a much better chance of preserving these high standards if they go out of the Champions League early on, per Hamish McKay of the Daily Mirror:

"

Manchester United look short in certain areas, Chelsea look well off the pace. There's only Man City really who look like the stand out team but even they (have had bad results).

Arsenal are never going to win the Champions League with this team, they always get knocked out in the quarter-finals at best, so if they go out earlier it may actually be an advantage for them. It may actually work for them.

[…]

This might be a season for them [Arsenal].

Arsenal need to win a title, that has to be their main aim.

"

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Henry, who won two Premier League titles with the club, echoed Carragher’s sentiments. “They must win the league this season,” said the Frenchman. “They must win it, because of what Jamie just said. I don't know if they will get a better chance. They must.”

Arsenal’s win over United was all the more remarkable when you consider what preceded it in midweek. The Gunners were tepid, naive and disorganised against Olympiakos, losing 3-2 and putting their chances of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages in major jeopardy—especially with a double header to come against a rampant Bayern Munich.

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While the supporters won’t want to drop out of Europe, perhaps doing so will give Wenger a chance to focus squarely on the Premier League and keep his players sharp for a title tilt. Having Alexis Sanchez back in brilliant form will give the Gunners a much better chance, too.

As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, after a tough beginning to the season, the Chilean is back in superb form again:

Still, one performance shouldn’t necessarily be deemed as the Gunners making a full transformation. Granted, they were outstanding against United and showed the kind of quality, work rate and cohesion that champions require. Doing so over a prolonged period will be the biggest test for this team, though.

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However, as noted by former Arsenal player Danny Karbassiyoon, it was encouraging to see the whole team perform as a collective against quality opposition:

If Arsenal are going to challenge for the top prize, then collective responsibility must be grasped on a much more regular basis.

Of course, this squad is flawed, with notable shortages up front and in central midfield, but as Carragher alludes to, so are most of the other Premier League sides you would expect to be challenging for glory come the end of the season.

The kind of qualities Arsenal showcased in this victory need to be on show again when the Gunners go to Watford next time out.

So often this team have turned in superb home performances before wilting on the road; if they can back up the display against United with three more points at a tough venue, then maybe there’ll be more fans ready to consider this team as potential title winners.