Former Arsenal player Jermaine Pennant believes that Mikel Arteta’s side will not be able to sustain their current tempo and momentum and that their title challenge will ‘cookie crumble’ in the second half of the season after the Christmas break.

Former Arsenal player Jermaine Pennant believes that Mikel Arteta’s side will not be able to sustain their current tempo and momentum and that their title challenge will ‘cookie crumble’ in the second half of the season after the Christmas break.

Arsenal has had a fantastic start to the Premier League season in 2022/23. The Gunners have won nine of their 10 matches so far, losing only once to Manchester United. The London-based club has picked up 27 points and also has the second-best goal difference of +14 after Manchester City.

City’s 1-0 loss to Liverpool last weekend allowed Arsenal to open up a four-point lead over the defending champions as well as Tottenham Hotspur following their own 1-0 success against Leeds United at Elland Road.

Given how things have gone so far, it is likely that the Premier League title race this season will boil down to battles between Arsenal and Manchester City, with Mikel Arteta having the edge over his former employers as things suggest.

However, former Gunners player Jermaine Pennant is of the opinion that Arsenal will not be able to sustain its current momentum and will end up collapsing in a fashion similar to last season. Arsenal appeared on course for a return to the Champions League for much of the campaign but ended up being pipped to the finishing post by arch-rivals Tottenham.

Pennant, who spent six years at Highbury and at the Emirates Stadium between 1999 and 2005, predicts a similar predicament awaiting the Gunners this time around as well.

While appearing on talkSPORT, Pennant said: “I think that Arsenal, after Christmas, will cookie crumble like they did the year before to drop out of the Champions League spots. We are praising Arsenal for where they are going and how they have conducted themselves in the first ten games. But it is all about whether they will maintain that, will they continue that after Christmas?”

“If Liverpool doesn’t clinch the title, I’ll be over the moon if Arsenal wins it,” he further added.

Arsenal looks like a totally revamped side this season following the additions of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. William Saliba has also returned from loan to finally consolidate his place in the Arsenal starting XI and has been a rock for them at the back.

As a result, they have enjoyed their best-ever start to a top-flight season in 2022-23, winning nine out of 10 games, including victories over Liverpool and Tottenham.