Thierry Henry explains why Man City shocked him as Arsenal Premier League title prediction made

Thierry Henry believes there's "no need to panic" in the title race as Arsenal look to close the gap on Liverpool in the Premier League.

The Gunners currently find themselves five points behind the Reds but that gap could be extended to eight if Arne Slot's side beat Crystal Palace on Saturday. Mikel Arteta's squad travel to Newcastle on Sunday and will be intent on coming away with all three points.

The Gunners drew 1-1 with Manchester City last weekend and while Henry concedes it was two points dropped, the Frenchman still believes his former side can win the league this campaign.

Speaking to Betway as their new global football ambassador, Henry said: "Who are you trying to catch? Liverpool, right? So technically, you dropped two points.

"Now, if you look at the performance and the resilience, it is not bad. It’s only the beginning of the season, there’s no need to panic. Liverpool went five points ahead, but it’s early doors.

"I saw a lot of people panicking, but I’ll say it again – do I think that Mikel Arteta is doing a great job? Yes. Do I think he should leave? No. Do I think we can win the league? Yes, I do. But we have to win something, and if I was a player, that would be my attitude."

A lot has also been made of Arteta's approach to games this season, with some pundits describing the tactics as negative. Henry, though, admitted he was "shocked" at how Pep Guardiola's side approached the game last weekend.

"No one would have thought that City were going to approach the game like that," he said. "No one. I was at the game, and I was shocked. 'Wow, City? Really?'

"I’ve sat on the bench, but a lot of people talking have never sat on the bench. They don’t know what it is like to prepare to play against City, a team that usually destroys other teams in possession.

"So maybe Arsenal worked on something else. Maybe he got surprised. We weren’t at the training ground, but there’s no way in the world that anyone here would have prepared the game against City thinking they were going to go low."

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