Paul Merson has suggested it's game over for Arsenal in their fight for the Premier League title with league leaders Liverpool affording 'three or four slip-ups.'
At one point, it appeared as if his old club were going to challenge Arne Slot's side all the way but that has changed in recent weeks, following the defeat and draw to West Ham and Nottingham Forest respectively. Liverpool themselves, also slipped up twice in their last five games but the distance was already significant to work in the Gunners' favour.
The Reds have only lost once this campaign, a 1-0 home defeat to Forest back in September. 13 points separates the two teams, with ten games left to play.
Given the gap between the teams, Merson believes the Merseysiders can afford a number of slip-ups. "It's just a case of how many points now," the former England international said on Sky Sports. "They've just got to stay concentrated and keep on performing.
"They've been absolutely outstanding. They've got the Champions League now, two big games against PSG (in between a home league match against rock-bottom Southampton), and as long as they tick along, they'll be all right. They could afford three or four slip-ups and they'd still be all right. But they won't want that to happen. They'll want to keep doing what they've been doing. They've been outstanding. The Man City game, they won that comfortably, and then the Newcastle game as well."
Merson added: "I can't speak highly enough of them. I did their game against Nottingham Forest, when they lost, and I wasn't that impressed at all and I thought they could struggle. It was straight after the international break and with Slot coming from Holland, I don't think it's the same as the Premier League. I think when you come back from a break in Holland, there's still a massive gulf, but in the Premier League, when you come back the lesser teams have got a good chance of beating you. It's a real leveller and I think that taught him a real lesson. That game was going nowhere. It was 0-0 and I thought the Forest manager, Nuno, did great.
"He put on wingers with speed and [Anthony] Elanga and [Callum] Hudson-Odoi ripped them apart. I think he (Slot) learned that when things aren't going great, just be patient, and take a draw here or there. They've had a big advantage, though. They haven't had injuries. The Rolls Royce at the back, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah play every game and that's a big thing."
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