EXCLUSIVE: Owen insists Arsenal can still win Premier League
Premier League and England icon Michael Owen believes Arsenal are still mentally strong enough to win the Premier League title despite last Sunday's damaging defeat to direct rivals Manchester City.
The Gunners have now drifted to 13/10 with bookmakers to win the league this season after back-to-back defeats allowed Pep Guardiola's Citizens to close to within three points, with a game in hand against relegation-doomed Burnley to come on Wednesday night.
City are now 8/11 best price to make it a ninth top-flight success in the last 15 campaigns – but Owen believes Arsenal's performance at the Etihad was not one of a team crumbling under pressure.
Speaking exclusively to Odds Now, Owen, who now represents Casino.org – a leading platform helping players find UK casino brands, said: "I think they do [have the mentality to bounce back].
"They can take so many positives from that game on Sunday. That result was not the reason for Arsenal letting City back into the title race. The loss to Bournemouth, for example, was far more damaging. And there have been others too.
"But I thought they attacked very well at the Etihad and just came up short in the end. If they can replicate that standard for their last few games, they have a set of fixtures when they can come out with maximum points for sure.
"Of course, City have to be favourites given the manner of how things have happened in recent weeks but I certainly wouldn't doubt that Arsenal have the mentality to still get over the line."
As is often the case in modern football, a few results can see a manager's stock rise and fall dramatically in certain quarters.
Having been praised most of the campaign for doing a wonderful job, some pundits and supporters are now questioning Mikel Arteta's ability to steer Arsenal towards the big trophies their fans crave so much.
But Owen is convinced the Londoners would be foolish to overlook the progress made by the Spaniard in recent years, particularly given the opposition in front of him.
Owen explained: "Mikel has found himself up against arguably the greatest manager ever in Pep Guardiola. So coming second to him would be nothing to ashamed of given he has a young squad who are still improving.
"They have made back-to-back Champions League semi-finals and could well go a step further this year and make the final – or even win it.
"To be still competing on the two most desired fronts at this stage of the season is no mean feat and regardless of how things pan out, you have to be happy with where Arsenal are as a club compared to some of their traditional rivals right now.
"I think they are closer than ever to lifting big trophies again".
While Owen is a staunch backer of Arteta, he does confess that Guardiola would likely get this current Arsenal squad over the line in the title race.
"I would think Pep would get it done, yes", he said. "He is a proven elite manager and when you look at his record of titles and trophies, he is up there with the best to ever do it.
"It's an excellent Arsenal team and if you were to add in Pep's experience in crunch moments, they would surely have seen it out from here.
"But as I keep saying, the season isn't over yet. City have the tougher fixtures to my eye but Arsenal are under pressure to bounce back against Newcastle. It's going to be a thrilling climax to a brilliant season!".
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
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