Tony Cascarino Sends Strong Message to Liverpool as Arsenal Tipped to Stay Firm in Title Race
Tony Cascarino, a former Chelsea striker, is adamant that Arsenal won’t falter and give the Premier League title to Liverpool this season. The Gunners defeated West Ham 2-0 on Saturday, taking the lead from the Reds.
Arne Slot’s team lost 2-1 to Chelsea later in the day, and Arsenal now leads the league by one point after defeating the Hammers with goals from Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
But things didn’t go as planned for Arsenal, as Mikel Arteta acknowledged after the game that Odegaard’s injury “doesn’t look positive.”
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“He’s not feeling great right now, and we’ll need to properly assess it before making any decisions,” Arteta stated.
“Yeah, I mean, Odegaard, I was at the game against Olympiacos and thought that Odegaard just pulls all the strings, and he’s a talented football player, but there’s some frustration with Arsenal fans that at times they felt he should have been left out,” Cascarino admitted to talkSPORT in response to that blow.
“I believe that when he is fully recovered, Arsenal [is a] much superior team. But notice how comfortable Arsenal was yesterday.
“When I returned home last night, I watched a lot of the game and was like, ‘You know, if you look at the figures, I mean, we shouldn’t go on dates all the time, but it was really 22 shots Arsenal and zero on target for West Ham, and barely caused an issue for Arsenal. It was the most cosy two-nil you’ve ever seen.
“Yeah, again, vital player, pivotal player, to the team and how they function,” Cascarino noted in reference to Saka’s importance to Arsenal.
After Arteta was hired, Arsenal had no better opportunity to win the league than they do now. It is their chance to win it this year.
They are the squad to beat, as I have stated from the beginning. It wasn’t Man City or Liverpool, but for me, it was Arsenal because of their roster’s size, quality of players across the board, and susceptibility to injuries.
They are a side that works incredibly well, but they are not the biggest performers.
“Well, I think for us, just want to get the three points, and they are a team that can do that with a lot more maturity,” Cascarino added when asked if he wanted to see Arsenal score more goals and end games sooner.
As long as they have enough players healthy, I don’t think that will be the case this season, which is why they come in second.
“They are the best defensive team, despite the fact that everyone will look at the fall away at the end of every season,” I believe.
The cleanest [sheets] will be kept by them. It will allow them to have a chance to win it. I do not perceive a collapse.
Why Arsenal’s Mental Shift Could Be the Deciding Factor in the Title Race
In truth, what separates this Arsenal side from the versions that stumbled in previous seasons isn’t just the depth or the tactics, it’s the mentality. You can sense a stronger belief within the group now.
Even when players like Odegaard or Gabriel Jesus are out, there’s no sense of panic in this Arsenal team anymore.
Declan Rice has taken charge, the kind of presence that handle the midfield perfectly. And you can see it in Saka and Martinelli too, they’ve stopped depending only on flair and started to win the ugly ones, the hard-way games that used to trip them up.
That’s the maturity people like Cascarino are talking about. It’s not showy or dramatic, just a team that finally looks like it knows how to handle itself.” It’s not just about playing well anymore; it’s about controlling the rhythm of a season.
Another crucial point is the defensive foundation. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães continue to control the back line with a calm experience that wasn’t there a couple of years ago.
You can almost feel the influence of Arteta’s meticulous work on shape and discipline. Arsenal rarely get dragged into chaos now, even under pressure. And in a title race where one bad week can turn everything upside down, that kind of composure is gold.
Of course, the looming question is how long they can maintain it. Cascarino’s belief that Arsenal won’t hand the title away might prove right, but Liverpool and City aren’t going anywhere.
Slot’s may have lost at Stamford Bridge, but anyone who watched that game knows how quickly they can flip momentum.
With Manchester City inconsistencies this season, they still remain the most dangerous team in the world when they find rhythm.
That’s why Arsenal’s ability to stay grounded will be everything. Arteta has been talking a lot lately about “humility and hunger” two words that feel like his quiet obsession.
He knows this squad can’t afford to drift into overconfidence, not after what happened last season.
If they keep their feet on the ground, manage Odegaard’s return carefully, and maintain that steel in defence, Arsenal won’t just be in the race, they might finally be ready to finish it.
