GARY NEVILLE believes the top-four race will “become a right tangle and mess come February” with the Manchester United legend fearing for Arsenal. The Gunners are currently sat top of the Premier League after 12 games played.
Mikel Arteta’s men have picked up 31 points from an available 36, scoring 30 goals in the process.
In recent weeks, Arsenal haven’t made it easy for themselves, but came away with positive results nonetheless.
They were, however, defeated 2-0 by PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League.
And United legend Neville isn’t betting on Arsenal being nailed-on finishers inside the top-four this season.
The iconic right-back expects the top-four race to “become a right tangle and mess come February” with Arsenal at the thick of it.
Speaking to Mirror Football, Neville said: “City are guaranteed obviously and I think Tottenham will get in there. I want to say Arsenal because I think they will be.
“I think this season will be split into two and I think you’ll see a completely different momentum change and shift at some point in the season. It will just completely change at some point – not at the top, I think City will run away with it.
“But I think Liverpool will come back. We’ve not seen Chelsea, what are they going to do, are they going to hang in there? Are Arsenal going to hang in there? Tottenham, I don’t think will fade away.
“I think it will become a right tangle and mess come February, March and I think the business end of the season will look completely different to how it looks today. So I will go City, Arsenal, Tottenham, United, I think and then I think Chelsea and Liverpool will just miss out.
“But to be honest with you, this idea that Arsenal will definitely get top four, I don’t go along with that yet personally. I think they have got to prove it towards the end of the season even though I’ve loved watching them at the moment and they’re brilliant.”
Fellow Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, is confident Arsenal will finish up in the top four, as well as North London rivals Tottenham.
Liverpool legend Carragher said: “I think pretty similarly, I do think the north London clubs will both get in it now, I really do believe that, I have loved watching Arsenal they’ve been almost my favourite team to watch this season.
“I think Liverpool will get in there ahead of Chelsea and then the two north London clubs alongside Man City.
“But I think it will be a fight that will go right to the wire and as a Liverpool supporter if you offered me top four now I would bite your hand off because I think Liverpool are in a right fight for that, they could easily finish sixth.
“But I do think Liverpool will stick in there because I do think in that second half of the season we’ve got to see the Liverpool of old at some stage and when Liverpool get back to that it is too much for everybody else in this league, except Man City.
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“Whether they ever get back to that consistency it’s going to be tough for them.”
Both pundits see the Gunners coming in at second behind current champions Man City.
Neville has then gone with Spurs and Man Utd in third and fourth, while Carragher picked Spurs and Liverpool to complete the top-four.
