Rio Ferdinand has already shifted his opinion on the Premier League title race, just three games into the new season.
Defending champions Liverpool are currently the only side with a 100% record, having beaten Bournemouth on the opening day, secured a dramatic 3-2 win at Newcastle, and scored late to edge Arsenal in a huge early-season clash.
Before the campaign began, Ferdinand predicted that only Liverpool and Manchester City would be in contention for the title. However, the former Manchester United and England defender now believes Arsenal have overtaken City as Liverpool’s main challengers.
Arsenal, who have finished second in each of the past three seasons, started strongly with victories over Manchester United and Leeds. But their unbeaten run ended at Anfield, where they lost narrowly to Liverpool just before the international break.
Manchester City, meanwhile, have endured a stuttering start. After beating Wolves on the opening weekend, Pep Guardiola’s side have suffered back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Tottenham.
Speaking to MailSport, Ferdinand said:
“I think you always have to have respect for the champions, no matter who it is. Champions normally go into the following season as the team to beat, that’s inevitable.
If you look at the way Liverpool have recruited in the summer, they’ve had the best window by far. Their intentions were pure and clear from the beginning, and they managed to get almost everything done—apart from Marc Guehi.
If they had managed to sign Guehi, I think they would have absolutely completed the perfect window.”
