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Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given says Liverpool is not the favorite to win the Premier League title this season — in part because of Arsenal, but also Manchester City.
Given says he is anticipating a three-way battle for the Premier League title this season, and while Liverpool leads the way after six games, its defeat to Crystal Palace, a day before Arsenal won at Newcastle, shows how quickly things can change.
"You can’t rule Manchester City out of the title race this early in the season, but they have got a lot of work to do if they’re to go and win it," he said. "That’s probably because of Arsenal and Liverpool, and the squads they’ve built over the last few years.
"You could argue that City are going through a bit of a transitional period, because they’ve brought a lot of names in over the last couple of transfer windows, but also they’ve lost so much experience too.
"You’ve got to keep rejigging things when you’re at the top, because all great eras come to an end. The question for Man City this year is are this group of players ready and good enough to challenge on all fronts? Part of me thinks they actually are.
"The good thing that they’ve got going for them right now is that no one is really talking about them; that might actually play into their hands as the season goes on, because everyone is talking about Arsenal and Liverpool.
"The noise around City is relatively quiet right now, which is crazy when you think of the size of the club and the players they’ve got. But they can use that to their advantage; they’ll be thinking 'Right, we’ll say nothing ourselves and quietly get on about our business'.
"I do think they’ll be in for a great shout at the end of the season in the title race, I really do. Yes, they’re a few points adrift at the minute, but it’s still so early in the campaign, and they’ve been there and done it before. That’s key, because Arsenal haven’t."
Manchester City is seventh in the table at the moment. It has already lost two games since the start of the season: against Spurs and Brighton.
"I actually think this is going to be one of the best title races there’s been in years," Given said, speaking to Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction.
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"Last year was a disappointing one in the end... great for Liverpool fans, obviously, but it was all done and dusted relatively quickly, wasn’t it?
"It’s difficult to say who wins it at this moment in time, but I’m expecting it to ebb and flow all season. I suppose as I sit here right now, if I look at every squad in the cold light of day, then I’d say Arsenal are the ones to beat."
Liverpool.com says: Three teams can go all the way in the title race, but Liverpool and Arsenal have the edge over Manchester City; that has been proven in the early weeks of the campaign. The Reds need to focus on beating Chelsea and getting back on track for now, but it doesn't look like the Stamford Bridge side will be in contention for first place in May.
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