This week, Paul Merson updated his personal column, offering insights on the recent performances of Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, and other teams.
Looking back at Arsenal's 0-0 home draw with Liverpool
In the previous Premier League match, Arsenal failed to beat Liverpool at home, yet they remain strong favorites to win the title. I know Arsenal didn’t play well in that game, but people seem to overlook one key fact: the Gunners didn’t lose. Even when playing poorly, they didn’t look like a team destined to be beaten. In my view, this is a very clear sign that they will win the league this season.
Previewing Arsenal’s away match against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest secured a crucial victory in their last Premier League fixture against West Ham United—they could have been 2-0 down at one point but ultimately won 2-1 thanks to an 89th-minute penalty, which was a vital result for them.
For this upcoming match, I see no other possible outcome besides an Arsenal win. Winning games like this is what secures league titles—not matches like the home draw against Liverpool. Arsenal must give their all and deliver strong performances in games they’re expected to win. If their attitude isn’t right from the start, they could quickly find themselves in trouble—but I expect the Gunners to comfortably take all three points.
Analyzing Liverpool vs. Burnley
Aside from their match against Brighton, Burnley haven’t played badly in their other fixtures, and they always give maximum effort. I think their loss to Brighton over the holiday period was their worst performance of the season. That said, I genuinely can’t imagine Burnley getting anything from this game.
Wirtz and Ekitike are now fully fit and both scored in the FA Cup match. While we respect Barnsley, we also need to consider the quality of this Liverpool side. From what I’ve observed, Liverpool’s performance improves significantly whenever Wirtz is on the pitch. I expect him to keep getting better, not worse. If he doesn’t go on to achieve great success at Liverpool, I’d be genuinely shocked.
When Salah returns from the Africa Cup of Nations, the real fireworks will begin again! Will he immediately return to the starting lineup? To be honest, I didn’t think Salah performed particularly well at the Africa Cup—the kind of magical moments where he single-handedly scores goals seem to be a thing of the past! I felt he barely troubled opposing full-backs during the tournament, and I sense he’s simply no longer that type of player anymore.
Analyzing Tottenham vs. West Ham
You know what? As a Chelsea fan, I’m unhappy about Gallagher joining Tottenham. But from Spurs’ perspective, what a fantastic signing it is! It’s absolutely brilliant.
One issue Tottenham face is a lack of midfield dynamism, which prevents them from controlling games—and Gallagher is the perfect solution to this problem. He energizes his teammates and lifts their overall performance.
I believe Gallagher will start in this match. If he plays, Tottenham will definitely beat West Ham. Right now, Spurs fans only ask one thing of their players—to fight hard—and Gallagher guarantees exactly that. Tottenham’s problem is that they only start pushing forward when they’re already behind, as we saw in the second half of their FA Cup match against Aston Villa. But by the time they kick into gear, it’s often too late. As I’ve said, if Gallagher plays, Spurs will win. But if he doesn’t, I think West Ham will take the victory.