Rio Ferdinand explains the factors that give Arsenal the title lead over Liverpool.

Rio Ferdinand believes Arsenal, led by Mikel Arteta’s squad, are in a stronger position than Liverpool to challenge Manchester City’s Premier League reign this season.

Rio Ferdinand is confident that Arsenal’s center-back duo of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba will grant them an advantage over Premier League title contenders Liverpool.

After thirteen games, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool are all tied for the top spot with two points separating them. According to Ferdinand, the Gunners have the highest probability of unseating the defending champions.

Although City have won the division for three consecutive years, Arsenal did present a challenge in the previous campaign, finishing only five points behind Pep Guardiola’s squad. With a 1-0 victory over Brentford, Arsenal have surpassed City and Liverpool to take the lead in the division.

Following the match, Ferdinand was effusive in his acclaim for Saliba and Gabriel. “Me and Crouchy were sitting here thinking about how good these two are, they want to be aggressive, they want to defend with that high line,” he stated to TNT Sports.

“At this time, they have the best defensive record in the league, and Declan Rice is performing admirably in the middle for them.” That small triangle will be crucial for them moving forward; it is the means by which they will achieve success.

“Today, pace is crucial for gaining an advantage over opposing teams, particularly in the back.” It signifies the ability to play that high line, and Brentford’s attack has caused so much trouble for opponents over the past two seasons.

Tonye, Wissa, and Mbeumo have all inflicted horrors on opposing teams with their quickness and aggressive run-ins. One of them manages to pass Saliba today; who is available to clean up the mess? Gabriel, you are. He returns it to Saliba, and the two of them resolve the matter amicably.

“If you want to achieve anything, you must have a reliable center-back pairing. They are the factors that led me to rank them higher than Liverpool in the title race and enable them to contend with City this season.

As Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reflected on the outcome, he praised his squad’s perseverance and composure. He stated, “We are overjoyed; I believe we entirely merited the victory in the game.”

“In my opinion, our performance was exceptional; we had several crucial moments; we ought to have scored much earlier; however, that is how it is at that difficult venue; they never make it simple. “However, we demonstrated tremendous perseverance, faith, and patience when the going got tough, and it was a significant victory.”