In a surprising turn of events, former Arsenal star Paul Merson has made a bold claim on Sky Sports about the potential impact of television programming on the Premier League title race. However, her comments were quickly corrected by the show’s host Kelly Cates. Merson’s comments came amid Arsenal’s 6-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Despite this impressive win, Arsenal remain in third place behind Manchester City and Liverpool. The football pundit says his former side are at a disadvantage due to the repeated fixture schedule following their title rivalry.Manchester City beat Everton 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, while Liverpool beat Burnley 3-1 at Anfield that afternoon. As Arsenal demolished West Ham, their goal difference rose to 31 – the same as Manchester City and less than Liverpool’s 32 – and Jurgen Klopp will set a record.
Merson expressed his concerns to pundits Roy Keane and Gary Neville after Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday night. He said: “I think it depends on who plays first at the weekend. I think it’s a big deal. Today was a match with Arsenal.His announcement was met with a playful rebuke from Cates, who defended Sky Sports’ scheduling decisions with the flippant remark: “Don’t let people criticize us!” The intemperate Merson continued his argument by pointing out how playing first can put pressure on the next team. “I’m not saying that. But they needed a win today to stay there. Cost much.“I watched Tottenham a few years ago when Leicester won the league in 2015/16.
They kept playing second, and second, and second…“If you talk to Tiger Woods in the match, he wants to put the ball on the green first and then apply pressure. There is a difference.”The most important thing is that I want to play first. I want to play on Saturday morning. I want to play at 12:30 at night. “I want to explode … get three points and then sit back and watch.”At this point Cates intervened again. He warned Merson not to share his theories with Klopp. This is because the Liverpool manager is known to dislike starting pitches on Saturdays. Although this explanation was gentle, the expert must have heeded the warning because the Germans did not react. I’m glad this issue has been resolved in the past.
Arsenal are currently two points behind Liverpool and level with Manchester City on 52 points. However, Mikel Arteta’s side have played one more game than Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions. Arsenal’s next game is scheduled for Saturday’s 12.30pm clash between Liverpool and Brentford, while City play Chelsea in the evening.
