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Liverpool last weekend became only the third side in Premier League history to move five points clear after just five matches. The last team to do it was also Liverpool, in 2019/20 — surely not a bad omen.
Matt Le Tissier certainly doesn't think so. Risking the wrath of Arsenal fans, he has predicted that Arne Slot will retain his title, leaving the Gunners trailing once again.
Faith in Mikel Arteta appears to be unwavering at the Emirates, but the fact remains that Arsenal has not tasted silverware since he won the FA Cup more than five years ago. That's despite eye-watering spending, with the Spaniard somehow managing to end the summer with an even higher net spend than Liverpool.
This is pretty remarkable, given that Liverpool was in the midst of a once-in-a-cycle spend, an uncharateristic splurge designed to set Slot up for years. For Arsenal, it was more or less just another window, with its five-year net spend topped only by Manchester United (that's its own tale of incompetence).
At some point, this kind of backing surely needs to yield results. But Arteta has only been able to deliver a succession of second-place finishes.
Le Tissier is not sure whether Arsenal will even manage that this season. Recalling his predictions, he tipped the Gunners for third. "I think I went with Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, and Chelsea for fourth," Le Tissier told Midnite, sponsor of his old club Southampton. "I felt Man City couldn't be as bad again as they were last year.
"But the way that Liverpool bought in the summer, I thought was really good, I thought they would take some beating. So I thought that City would come strong again and perhaps just pip Arsenal."
The past tense makes it somewhat unclear if Le Tissier has changed his mind or not. But one thing he was emphatic on is that Liverpool has put itself in an excellent position.
"I guess it's been a fascinating start," Le Tissier continued. "Liverpool with five out of five wins, but scraping over the line at times, which I think is a bit ominous for the teams below them, because without ever really hitting their top form, they still managed to be five points clear at the top after just five games.
"So they're going to take some catching. I'm sure Arsenal and Man City will try and have a say in it, but City are already eight points adrift, so it's going to be tough for them [both]".
Liverpool.com says: Last season was something of an anomaly in terms of the low points totals, with Liverpool lifting off the gas after securing the title early — other recent campaigns have shown that a five-point margin is a significant hurdle to overcome.
It was not long ago that Man City and Liverpool were recording points tallies of 100 and 99. That's a total of just 14 and 15 points dropped throughout an entire campaign.
It's all the more worrying for Arsenal and Man City fans that Liverpool has done this without any material contributions from record signing Alexander Isak. He will get his first league start tomorrow, and will be hoping that he can add to the goal he scored in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz has played, but is some way from truly hitting his stride. When that clicks, Liverpool should be able to find another gear again.
And it's done all this against the backdrop of one of the hardest fixture lists in the league. Admittedly, Arsenal was one of just two teams with an even harder start on paper, but Slot's perfect record from the games in question is outrageously good.
If you look hard enough, Arsenal and Man City have both shown some green shoots of recovery. Le Tissier did suggest that Arteta wouldn't be "too disappointed" with his start, having had to show some level of caution against elite opponents.
But time is not the friend of Liverpool's rivals. Arteta needs results soon if he wants to be looking upward to Liverpool instead of trying to prevent his old mentor from snatching second place.
It goes without saying that the vast majority of the season lies ahead of us, and no chickens should be counted any time soon. But Le Tissier is right: Liverpool has put itself in an excellent position, leaving Arsenal with everything to do in order to avoid another disappointing league finish.
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