The 2024-25 Premier League season is just days away, and Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has weighed in with his prediction.
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso knows what it takes to compete in the Premier League, having failed to win during his time at Liverpool.
Ahead of the new season, the Leverkusen boss has expressed his belief that Arsenal will be a strong contender for the Premier League title this season but will face stiff competition from at least two other teams.
Alonso's side suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Gunners in a pre-season friendly, giving him a firsthand look at Mikel Arteta's team.
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Xabi Alonso backs Arsenal to battle for EPL title
"Arsenal, for sure, it's not just last year, they have been creating a project, Mikel is leading a great team at a great club, they are going to be challenging with the big ones for sure," Alonso said after the match. "City will be there, Liverpool are coming with other ones as well."
Alonso's comments suggest that he expects a highly competitive season, with multiple teams vying for the title. He praised Arsenal's project and Arteta's leadership, indicating that they have the potential to challenge the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
The defeat served as a wake-up call for Leverkusen, with Alonso emphasizing the need to raise their standards.
"First, talking about the game, it wasn't a good performance from our side, but I could be happy that it happened today. For sure, it's going to be a wake-up call.
This is a new season, and we are starting from zero. The standards were way below our normal level. If we don't raise our standards in games of this level, it's going to be impossible."
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