Jose Mourinho has expressed a tempered perspective regarding Arsenal’s position as Premier League leaders, suggesting potential obstacles that could hinder their title pursuit.
At this point last season, Arsenal held the top spot with a five-point lead over City.
However, the treble-winning City side managed to catch up and surpass them in the latter half of the campaign, securing a third consecutive title.
Mourinho believes that City’s remarkable depth in their squad, substantial enough to assemble two world-class teams, will be the deciding factor in securing victory once more.
He sees Liverpool as their closest rivals, though he expresses a desire to witness Arsenal becoming a significant contender, thereby transforming the competition into a three-way race.
Read Also: Champions League Last Of 16 Draw: Arsenal Is Set To Take On Porto, While Manchester City Will Be Playing Against Copenhagen.
Asked by former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel on his The Obi One Podcast who will win the Premier League, Mourinho replied: ‘Man City 51 [per cent] and Liverpool 49.’
When asked if league leaders Arsenal are in the conversation, Mourinho pulled a face and simply replied: ‘Na.’
Mikel burst out laughing at his old manager’s bluntness, saying: ‘The rivalry is still there!’
Mourinho continued: ‘But it is not the rivalry… it isn’t the right moment [for them].’
When Mikel suggested the north Londoners ‘always capitulate’, Mourinho replied:
‘Honestly, rivalry apart because I can do it, I would like them to win, I would like a third [team in the title race].
‘Of course Chelsea is not going to win it, that’s out of the question, so I don’t think about Chelsea.
‘Of course Manchester United is not going to win it, I don’t speak about Man United too, so it’s going to be these three and out of these three I would be happy for Arsenal to do it.
‘I would be really happy to [see them] break a little bit that thing, but I think it’s 51-49 [between City and Liverpool].
‘And I say 51-49 because when the accumulation of matches are coming, Man City has two teams!’
