Rodri questions Arsenal and Mikel Arteta’s Premier League title credentials in scathing analysis | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has questioned Arsenal’s overall ability to win the Premier League title.

Mikel Arteta’s side were beaten to the Premier League trophy by Manchester City for the second successive season on Sunday, as Pep Guardiola’s team clinched a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title with a 3-1 win over West Ham.

A first-half brace from Phil Foden and second-half strike from Rodri secured the Sky Blues’ sixth title in seven years, as Manchester City finished two points ahead of the Gunners in the Premier League title race.

Manchester City, who are unbeaten in their last 35 games across all competitions, failed to beat Arsenal during the Premier League campaign, suffering a 1-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in October and settling for a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium in March.

The Sky Blues successfully turned the tide in the title race last Tuesday, winning their game in hand at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 0-2, after two second-half goals from Erling Haaland and a series of heroic saves from Stefan Ortega.

Arsenal’s set-up at the Etihad Stadium in a decisive clash was widely criticised, with a victory for the Gunners over Manchester City in March having meant that the Gunners would have been crowned Premier League champions ahead of the Blues.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has pinpointed the north London club’s tactics that day as pivotal in the title race, and doubted their overall credentials to lift the Premier League trophy as a result.

“I think the difference was here [the mentality]. When Arsenal came here at the Etihad, I saw them. Ah, these guys, they don’t want to beat us, they just want to draw. And that mentality, we wouldn’t do it the same way,” said the Spaniard.

“At the end, if you give us one point, we will win the last seven, eight games.”

Rodri, who is unbeaten in his last 50 matches, has started 49 matches for Manchester City this season, scoring nine goals, including another seismic strike to help propel the club towards silverware.

The 27-year-old scored the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League Final last season, and equalised against Aston Villa during the dramatic 3-2 win in 2022.