Mikel Arteta would have watched Liverpool against Manchester City knowing the Premier League title is in the bag for Arsenal.
That is the opinion of talkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham, who believes the Gunners will finally end their 20-year wait for top-flight glory.
Arsenal are sitting pretty at the top of the table on goal difference following Kai Havertz’s late winner vs Brentford on Saturday.
A 1-1 draw between City and Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday meant that the two sides were unable to leapfrog the north Londoners, who have now won eight consecutive league matches.
And with all three clubs sitting out of this weekend’s Premier League action, Arteta‘s men go into the international break as the team to beat.
Durham – a long-time critic of Arsenal in Arsene Wenger‘s final years – now believes they finally have what it takes as he provided a damning verdict on their rivals.
Speaking on commentary ahead of Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Newcastle on Monday night, he said: “Let’s talk about the title race, I’m going to give you a bunch of reasons why Arsenal will win the title.
“They’re saying it’s a close race and all that – Arsenal are going to win the title.
“They’re scoring more goals than the other two, they’re conceding fewer goals, they’re better than the other two and are playing better.
“Erling Haaland [against Liverpool] was 2/10 at best in a big game – he was useless.
“Luis Diaz had one of those days where he couldn’t finish his dinner, [Darwin] Nunez didn’t look like scoring, [Harvey] Elliott never scores.
“Ederson was an embarrassment, he’s now out for four weeks, I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
“Pep [Guardiola] took off his best player [Kevin De Bruyne] with 20 minutes of the 90 left, [Julian] Alvarez looked like a competition winner rather than a World Cup winner.
“Liverpool can’t keep players fit, [Jurgen] Klopp bizarrely left [Mohamed] Salah and [Andy] Robertson on the bench for this one.
“And Liverpool’s best midfielder is a 31-year-old journeyman, [and] dirty stopper called [Wataru] Endo.
“Arsenal watched that and they laughed – they know they’ve got the title in the bag unless they bottle it like last season. It’s theirs.”
Next up for Arsenal in the Premier League is a trip to City on March 31, where a first win at the Etihad since January 2015 will surely cement them as title favourites.