Michael Owen admitted he is ‘having to re-think’ his prediction for the top four in the Premier League this season, after both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal continued their unbeaten start to the campaign.
Tottenham made it 10 points from their opening four fixtures after a hard-fought 2-0 win away at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Spurs are now third in the Premier League table going into the midweek games, level on points with Manchester City and Brighton.
Meanwhile, North London rivals Arsenal have enjoyed a perfect start to the season, winning all four of their games so far. They secured a last-minute win against newly-promoted Fulham at the weekend and currently sit at the top of the table.
The race to finish in the top four this season is sure to be a fierce battle, with Manchester City and Liverpool the favourites for the top two places, and Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United all tipped to fight for the remaining two spots.
Before the current campaign kicked off, Michael Owen predicted Chelsea and Spurs would round out the top four and secure Champions League qualification, just as they did last season.
Now though, the former Liverpool and England striker has revealed to Premier League Productions (27/08/22) that he has changed his mind, largely due to Arsenal’s impressive early season form.
He said: “If they keep this team spirit, this togetherness between fans and players, then I think they will fair fine.
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“Let’s not pretend they are there. They are nowhere near Manchester City. They are nowhere near Liverpool just yet. But I tell you what, they are getting closer,” he added.
“I personally thought it would be Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham for the top four at the start of the season. Now I am having to re-think. This team looks like it is going to burst into that. So, that’s massive progress.”
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Rivalries aside, Arsenal have certainly started the season strong and look a much better side than they have done in the last few years. They will certainly be right up there challenging for a top-four spot and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them clinch one of those places come the end of the season.
That said, we have to consider the calibre of teams they have faced so far. It will be far more clear exactly how much progress Arsenal have made when they face one of the big six sides.
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