SINGAPORE – The English Premier League title race has kept football fans on the edge of their seats with the top three sides – Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool – separated by only two points as at April 20.
With six games remaining, defending champions City have surged into the driver’s seat on 73 points after early pacesetters Liverpool and Arsenal slipped up on the weekend of April 13.
The teams have delivered one of the most exciting title battles in recent years – the last time the top three clubs finished within four points of one another was during the 2013-14 season.
But it is Pep Guardiola’s men who will lift their 10th league trophy at the end of the season, say former EPL stars who are in town for the StarHub Football Festival.
They cited City’s ruthlessness, experience and impeccable track record as key factors in the title run-in.
Emile Heskey, who made 223 appearances for Liverpool from 2000 to 2004, told The Sunday Times: “We all know Man City are ruthless when it comes to the end of the season. They’re relentless in their pursuit for whatever they want.”
Agreeing, compatriot Glen Johnson added: “Even when they’re not playing well, they find a way to win. It’s just the depth in their squad and the quality.”
Even without playmaker Kevin de Bruyne for the first half of the season and talisman Erling Haaland’s dip in form – with just four goals in his last eight league appearances – City could still rely on the likes of Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden to sustain their title charge.
Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke, the 1998-99 EPL top scorer, conceded City’s “know-how” would be tough for their rivals to match as they “don’t rely on just Haaland”.
He said: “Arsenal haven’t got enough winners in there who won major competitions.
“We know how well Arsenal have been playing. But maybe it is the mentality of the manager or the players, as come the business end of the season they can have the odd off-day which is rare for City.
“For all the great things Liverpool have done, playing fantastic football, they’ve only managed to win it once since it became the Premier League. And the players who have won it are gone. It’s a new set of players who will take some time to win it again.”
However, Liverpool’s former French striker Djibril Cisse is keeping faith with his old side, noting that they have what it takes to pip City to the league title.
“Liverpool are a special club. They always find the spirit to do something unbelievable that nobody expects,” said the 42-year-old. “That’s the DNA of the club, to go through situations like that.”
On the back of a shock Europa League exit to Italian side Atalanta and a league defeat by Crystal Palace, Cisse noted that the pressure of giving outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp the “perfect farewell” has affected the players.
“I‘m sure that all the players want to thank him, make him happy and leave on the right note. But, because you want to please him so much, sometimes you put extra pressure on yourself and it can damage results,” he added.
Former Liverpool custodian David James thinks the exit from European football can only benefit the Reds.
The 53-year-old said: “I still believe it’s between City and Liverpool. Arsenal’s run-in is too tough, I’m not worried about that.
“Liverpool were wasteful against Manchester United but they did everything right against Crystal Palace, it was just that their shots on target were blocked or saved.
“They are more than capable of winning the Premier League because of the chances they create.
“If they win the league, there’s no problem with what they have done; if they don’t win, then we can find a problem.”
The two-day StarHub Football Festival will culminate in an exhibition match between the EPL legends and Singapore legends at Our Tampines Hub on April 21.
