Paul Scholes has cast serious doubt over Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League, insisting Mikel Arteta’s squad is still missing the mentality required to finish at the top. The Manchester United legend was blunt in his assessment, claiming there is “no chance” the Gunners will be champions this season.
Despite Arsenal holding a two-point lead at the summit, their recent stumble at Aston Villa has fuelled debate about their title credentials. The dramatic 2-1 defeat at Villa Park — where Matty Cash opened the scoring, Leandro Trossard equalised, and Emiliano Buendia sealed a last-minute winner — exposed, in Scholes’ view, the same shortcomings that have undermined Arsenal in decisive moments.
Manchester City’s comfortable 3-0 win over Sunderland later that day tightened the pressure at the top, yet many commentators still consider Arsenal the favourites. Scholes strongly disagrees.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, the former midfielder argued that Arsenal’s inability to perform when expectation is highest remains their biggest obstacle.
“City have a great chance now,” Scholes said, noting Guardiola’s history of building momentum after the turn of the year. “They always improve in the second half of the season. Arsenal just can’t win big games, and until they do, they’ve got no chance of winning the league.”
Scholes pointed to instances throughout the campaign that he believes highlight a worrying trend: losses to Liverpool and Aston Villa, failure to capitalise on a struggling Manchester City at the Emirates, and a disappointing draw against a ten-man Chelsea side. For a team with championship aspirations, he argued, these moments matter far more than early-season dominance.
According to the eleven-time Premier League winner, the title race is defined by how teams respond under pressure and against elite competition — an area where he insists Arsenal continue to fall short.
“Teams that win titles handle the biggest moments,” he said. “Arsenal haven’t shown they can do that yet.”
As the season progresses and Manchester City’s traditional post-January surge looms, Scholes believes Arsenal must break their pattern of faltering in pivotal fixtures if they want to prove their critics wrong and maintain control of the title race.
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