Paul Merson: Arsenal are a long way off being title contenders

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Mikel Arteta is on his way to great success. However, the season is long and you have to wait. The Spaniard receives a lot of criticism despite his good results. "It's not that I don't care but I care a lot more especially when I am doing my job when I am sitting at home I care about my wife's things and people's things but you don't see that.

But when I'm in the public eye I care a lot. What can we do is the best for the club and the best to defend the players and this is my role as well."- Arteta said, as quoted by goal.com Paul Merson is still not optimistic that Arsenal can win the title.

He stated the team's main problem: "Arsenal have done amazingly but they are a long way off being title contenders, in my opinion,’" Merson told Sky Sports. "Just look at that Newcastle game. They couldn’t bring anybody on when they needed to change it."

Paul Merson on Manchester City

Merson believes that City has many more options on the bench and that this will be the main advantage of the team from the Etihad.

"There's nobody on the bench bar Fabio Vieira, who Mikel Arteta paid £34m for and doesn't seem to trust. Then, two days after that game, Man City are looking like they might draw against Chelsea, but they just bring on Grealish and Mahrez and one crosses it, one scores.

That showed the quality Pep Guardiola has to work with and I just don't see how Arsenal are going to be able to live with Man City over a period where there are 60-odd points up for grabs. Arsenal would have to take four points off Man City in those two games to have absolutely any chance of winning it. Otherwise, I just don't see how Arsenal are going to do it."