Gary Neville has claimed that Arsenal will limp to the title on the last game of the season, but insisted the Gunners won’t keep up the pace they set in their opening 19 fixtures.
The former Manchester United defender, 47, also said that he believed 85 points was enough for a team to win the Premier League this season.
Despite losing at Goodison Park by struggling Everton on Saturday, the Emirates side maintain their five-point advantage over the reigning champions.
The Gunners have a clash with Brentford next up in which Mikel Arteta will need his side to get back to winning ways, while Manchester City face Aston Villa.
‘I believe that 85 points will win a team the Premier League this season,’ Neville said on The Overlap.
‘This is a traditional season where Arsenal won’t win the league easily, which it never is after not winning it for many years.’
He continued: ‘Arsenal will limp over the line in May and will come under pressure at times, but in terms of Arsenal having a big lead currently, we were thinking on Saturday afternoon about how quickly the point difference will change – the lead over Manchester City can change very quickly.
‘It could happen multiple times between now and the end of the season, where Arsenal will lose, Manchester City will win and then the gap closes quite rapidly.
‘If Manchester City overtake Arsenal with 5-10 games left to go, they’ll win it by 10 points, but if Arsenal are to win the league, they’ll win it in the penultimate or last game of the season.’
The football pundit also said Arsenal winning the league would be a miracle from where they were last season and praised Arteta’s ability as a coach.
Neville said: ‘I’m a big fan of Mikel Arteta and I think he’s a great coach. I thought he took it too far the last few weeks with what he’s been doing on the touchline, but other than that, he’s done an unbelievable job.
‘At the end of last season, we thought he wouldn’t last this season because of how the team bottled the end of the season. I can’t believe what he’s done this season, it’s been amazing.’
‘I still believe Manchester City will win the league, but the fact we’re talking about Arsenal fighting for the title is a miracle from where they were last year,’ he added.
Neville was speaking on The Overlap Live Fan Debate, in partnership with Sky Bet.
