‘Better equipped’ Arsenal have beating of Man City as former Gunner expects experience to count
Former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre feels the Gunners are “better equipped” than last season and when the title comes to being decided, they “could do it”.
Arsenal frequently put out one of the youngest starting XIs in the Premier League last season. Despite the relative inexperience, they had a fantastic campaign, leading the league for most of the season.
They eventually slipped up, though, finishing second to Manchester City. While injuries didn’t help, nor did a lack of experience in a title fight when it came to crunch time in the season.
A year on, though, a lot of those players can now call on that experience, alongside fresh new talents that have made the squad stronger.
As a result, former Gunners defender Silvestre feels Arsenal have what it takes to overcome Manchester City.
“They could do it [win the Premier League title]. But I’m not going to say they will win it, as that would be a foolish thing to say when you consider how long the season is,” he told GGRecon.
“They are better equipped than they were last season. They’ve strengthened their squad in key areas, and they have greater self-belief. Last season, they competed for the Premier League title with a young squad.
“But now they are a year older and I believe the experience they’ve gained from last season will make them stronger as a group.
“In March and April, when the games become even more crucial, they will be better prepared to deal with the tougher tests that come their way.”
Mikel Arteta will be hopeful that his side having had that experience last season means they’ve learned how to tackle the pressure games at the back end of the campaign.
When it comes down to it this season, that pressure may not be as daunting, and they could well have a better chance of succeeding. That being said, Manchester City are vastly experienced in title fights, and will surely put up a strong front yet again.
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