Paul Merson believes Man City will not be able to win the Premier League if they continue playing as they currently are.

Under Maresca's management, Man City made a strong start to the season, winning 5 consecutive matches after beating Sunderland 5-3.

With a three-week international break approaching, Maresca's side is leading defending champions Arsenal by 3 points. Arsenal suffered a 0-3 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.

Below is how "Magic Man" Merson explains why Arsenal still maintains the upper hand in the Premier League this season.

"Man City's Defence is Complete Chaos"

Merson said: "I watched the match and thought that if Man City can put on a dominant performance and convincingly beat Sunderland, their trajectory could change significantly."

"Arsenal lost badly before that, and they deserved it completely. At that point I thought they would easily win the title and not lose many matches. Was I wrong?"

"Then I watched Man City play Sunderland and I thought: 'No, I wasn't wrong. Man City absolutely cannot win the title.'"

Merson assessed: "You can't always win by scoring crazy goals; you can't play like that. Top teams will exploit your weaknesses."

"Sunderland aren't the highest-scoring team in England, but they scored 3 goals and could have scored more. Man City's attack is good, but their defence is complete chaos. This problem will hurt them sooner or later, especially when facing strong teams."

"I still remember Maresca's style when he coached at Chelsea, and I'm sure he's not satisfied with how this match went. He hates chaos; he's not a coach who handles chaotic situations well."

"Yes, Man City beat Manchester United with 10 men at Old Trafford. But what's difficult about that? When it's 11 against 11, Man City completely lacks organisation, and Manchester United played better."

"Once it's 10 against 11, Man City can sit deeper, and the pressure isn't as great. As long as they set up two banks of four and leave Haaland up front, it's very difficult for opponents to break through."

Did Arteta make a big mistake by not playing Lewis-Skelly against Brighton?

Merson said: "I really want to ask Arteta why he started Bruno Guimarães ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly against Brighton."

"Did he think the match would be easy? Did he think Brighton, who just came back from 0-2 down to beat Manchester United on Wednesday, would be tired?"

"As a result, this lineup completely failed. Arsenal were outrun and outmatched in midfield, and they were completely beaten."

"Bruno is a great player. If a team defends deep, using him is fine. If a team controls possession and has plenty of time on the ball, nobody is better suited. He has excellent technique, accurate passing, and high football IQ."

"I can't help but wonder if Arteta was thinking on the bus ride home: 'I got this one wrong.' Bruno played brilliantly a few weeks ago when he came off the bench against Aston Villa; he could calmly control possession, pass flexibly, create one-touch two-touch combinations, and firmly control the tempo of the match. If he had played like that in this match, the outcome could have been better."

"I don't blame Bruno at all for Arsenal's defeat, not at all. I just don't understand why Arteta had to change the starting lineup in such a difficult match."

"No matter how good you are, even if you're an international player with many titles, the moment the opponent pressures you and forces you to play heads down, the nature of the match changes completely."

"If there's plenty of time to process the ball, even I, a retired player, could play. But Brighton's pressing was excellent; their performance was outstanding. You have to admit, they really are a very good team."

Website AF đã ra mắt! Xem tin tức đầy đủ, bình luận, chi tiết trận đấu và thống kê trên máy tính. Truy cập: www.allfootballapp.com