Paul Merson says Arsenal’s Premier League title chances will be over with defeat at Newcastle despite early stage of season | Football News

Paul Merson says Arsenal’s Premier League title chances will be over if Liverpool beat Crystal Palace and the Gunners lose to Newcastle on Super Sunday this weekend.

A win for Liverpool at Crystal Palace on Saturday followed by a defeat for Arsenal at St James’ Park would see Mikel Arteta’s side fall eight points behind the league leaders, who have started the season with five straight wins.

It’s a gap that Merson believes would be too big for the Gunners to overhaul, even at this early stage of the season, however, he believes a win at Newcastle, live on Sky Sports, would put his former side in a strong position after a difficult fixture list to start the season.

Merson also questions Arteta’s team selection against Man City last weekend and explains why points on the board are vital in a title race.

‘I was disheartened by Arteta’s team selection against City’

When I saw the Arsenal team against Manchester City last Sunday, I was disheartened.

No disrespect to Leandro Trossard, he’s a good impact player, but you’ve chased after Eberechi Eze and paid the money to play him in the big games – otherwise why buy him?

No one cares about Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League. If they lose that game it doesn’t really matter because the Premier League is priority. They haven’t won it for over 20 years.

For me, you can’t keep coming second. The Bilbao game means nothing compared to Man City.

It’s what Jamie Carragher said on Super Sunday, they wasted 45 minutes of the game.

You’ve got to pick a team to give Man City respect, but you realise at the end of the game, Man City are nowhere near what they were. That’s the problem. If City win it 1-0, you’re giving them all the praise but they don’t.

‘Why did Arsenal sit back? Questions should be asked’

If you sit down and look at how bad City were in the cold light of day, Arsenal missed a trick.

Arsenal were playing that game at the right time. City had already been ripped apart by Tottenham. If you watch the Brighton game, as soon as Brighton start going at Man City they are all over the place. I don’t know why Arsenal didn’t look at those games. Why did they sit back? Questions have got to be asked.

Mikel Arteta has a got a player in every position now. You buy x-factor players like Eze for x-factor games, that’s why you buy them – they make things happen in tight situations.

Not many other players could have played the pass Eze did for the goal.

When I played, if you paid top dollar for a player, they played. And if they failed the manager would be sacked.

I just couldn’t get my thinking around it.

‘Newcastle must-win game for Arsenal’

Arsenal are now five points behind Liverpool now, and so this weekend is such a must-win game at Newcastle, it’s a joke.

If Liverpool win at Crystal Palace on Saturday, by the time Arsenal play on Sunday they are eight points behind. If they lose, believe me, the Premier League title race, it’s finished for them. Kaput. Over.

People get caught out on this all the time, thinking ‘don’t worry, there’s 32 games left, loads of points to play for’. If I said to you at the start of the season, ‘there’s 38 games, but Liverpool are going to start with an eight-point head start’, it doesn’t matter if you’re the most loyal Arsenal fan in the world, you could not see them winning the league.

I get fed up with this ‘there’s still 30 odd games’. You’ve got to get the points on the board early.

This is a must, must win football match of the highest level for Arsenal.

‘Pressure well and truly on Arsenal now’

Liverpool are big favourites for the title.

But I did say, if Arsenal got four points from their next two games – being City and Newcastle – they win the league.

I think they win it but the pressure is well and truly on now.

I expected them to beat Man City and draw at Newcastle but now they have to go up to Newcastle and beat them.

Arsenal had one of the toughest starts in Premier League history, it’s a stinky start.

If they can come away from this weekend still only five points behind then they still have a chance, and Liverpool at Palace is not a gimme. But in my opinion eight points is too much.

Watch Newcastle vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports on Super Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm