West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis has claimed that Arsenal have a stronger squad than Premier League leaders Chelsea, as per reports in Mirror.
The Gunners beat Pulis’ side 1-0 at the Emirates on Boxing Day thanks to a very late headed goal from returning striker Olivier Giroud, giving Wenger’s team all three points.
The North London club are currently positioned fourth in the points table, nine points behind the Blues following two consecutive defeats in their last three matches.
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte’s troops have won 12 League games in a row pull 6 points clear at the top of the table.
However, Pulis believes the Gunners have more depth in their squad and can go all the way in the Premier League title race. According to Mirror, he said:
If you look at the players who were not playing and not in the team today, and then you look at Chelsea’s, I think Arsenal have definitely got the stronger squad.
So they have most probably got the staying power to see them through and it will be interesting to see what Chelsea do. I think Chelsea will spend. I don’t think your man will sit back on what he’s got, I think he will invest. So it will be an interesting window for the top four or five clubs.
The game at Chelsea and Arsenal were very similar. We’ve played against a top team today, good players and we’ve worked very hard within a system and I’m desperately disappointed for them and the supporters who have traveled.
Against these two teams, you have to work and concentrate for as long it takes. The top teams win so many games in the last ten minutes. They are relentless. We’re disappointed but we move on.
Wenger has assembled quite a formidable squad over the past few years by selectively picking up talented players from the transfer market. The French manager was also successful in holding onto the core group of talented youngsters players and developing the team around them, which he has failed to do over the past decade or so.
It is extremely important to have a large pool of talented players to sustain through the grueling Premier League season. There will definitely be injuries throughout the season, but when the team has capable alternatives to slot-in that’s when they can really become successful.
Chelsea have been in exemplary form this season and comparing Arsenal to them does look ambitious considering the Gunners struggles off-late, but it does show that there is drastic improvement in the team as a whole and just may be they can pull off this season with that team effort.
