Former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer has told British tabloid newspaper the Daily Star that Arsenal must now be the favourites to win the Premier League following the drama that is unfolding at other clubs.
The firing of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and the axe dangling over the heads of both Louis van Gaal and Manuel Pellegrini in Manchester has given Arsenal the advantage in the race to the title.
“Arsene Wenger must be sat back rubbing his hands at all this,” Shearer told the Daily Star.
“While all around him are losing their heads, his is the steadiest hand on the tiller.
“We don’t expect Leicester City to win the league and the favourites must still be Manchester City.
“Yet with Pep Guardiola about to announce his departure from Bayern Munich at the end of the season is Manuel Pellegrini not a lame duck boss?
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“Unless the hierarchy at the Etihad come out and categorically deny they are after Guardiola and that Pellegrini is their man, then the rumours will persist.”
The Magpie hero also believes Mourinho being fired by Chelsea also piles the pressure on to Louis van Gaal at Manchester United, as many of the fans would prefer to see the 52-year-old in the dugout at Old Trafford rather than the Dutchman.
Shearer added: “Then we come to Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford.
“The Manchester United board have tried to make it clear that he is still their man. That, however, was before the defeats to Wolfsburg and Bournemouth.
“Slip up against Norwich on Saturday and the pressure intensifies. Particularly now with Mourinho out of a job, because suddenly the best manager of his generation is available.”
Despite being considered as being one, if not the best manager of his generation, Shearer feels that there are questions about the Portuguese trainers’ mentality that need answering.
He continued: “I have never known a club crash from such heights in such a short space of time.
“We will no doubt hear stories in the coming weeks about what went wrong behind the scenes.
“Whatever the reasons, a great manager has mismanaged a great situation to a shocking degree. And it has now happened twice at Chelsea and once at Real Madrid.
“So you have to begin to question why Mourinho loses a situation so dramatically.
“Does he believe so much in his own publicity that he actually forgets what it was that got him to the top in the first place?”
While it is nice to speculate how turmoil at other clubs can help aid yours, it would be naïve to think that mangers with the age and experience of Manuel Pellegrini and Louis van Gaal feel any pressure as they both prepare to retire in the near future.
Both men think of winning the Premier League title just as much as Wenger, and their situations appear to us at least to be rock-solid, with van Gaal so far living up to what he promised to do.
First year in charge: Lead Manchester United to a top-four finish.
Second year in charge: Compete to win the Premier League title (Currently 4th, six points behind leaders Leicester City).
Third year in charge: Have a team capable of winning the Champions League.
Fourth year: Retire
As for Pellegrini at City, he has always known that the plan was to bring in Pep Guardiola, so he will be more keen than ever to make the Premier League title his swan song before bowing out.
Will this influence our chances of winning the Premier League title?
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