Sol Campbell: Arsenal fans crave the Premier League title - Arsene Wenger can win it as long as key players stay fit

Standard Sport5 November 2016

Former Arsenal and Tottenham defender Sol Campbell believes the Gunners can end their Premier League title drought this season - as long as they avoid injuries to key players.

Arsenal face Tottenham in Sunday's north London derby full of confidence having qualified for the Champions League knockout stages and going unbeaten since the opening day of the Premier League season.

The Gunners are second to table toppers Manchester City only on goal difference, though Arsene Wenger's squad has started to pick up a number of injuries - sparking fears among the club's fans of a traditional post-Christmas slump.

Injuries and a loss of form heading into the winter months have often derailed Arsenal's title hopes since they last lifted the trophy in 2004, though Campbell - who swapped White Hart Lane for Highbury to the fury of Spurs fans in 2001 - sees success for the Gunners if players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez keep form and fitness.

Arsenal in training ahead of Tottenham clash

1/10

The former centre-back told 888Sport: "It’s not mentality, it’s just injuries. That’s what has hurt them all these years — key players injured at key moments.

"Not just a few games, but players out for six months. If they stay fit, they can go all the way. The fans are craving it — but so are four or five other clubs."

Campbell believes that the final 20 minutes of the north London derby may be vital for Wenger's side to record a result, saying: “Arsenal will be geared up for Spurs’ pressing because you cannot do that relentlessly all of the time, only five or 10-minute spells.

"They will be concentrating on how to get past the second press and that’s where you open them up. That’s why the last 20 minutes will be key because a side that has pressed will have spent up a lot of their energy.

"You have to get used to that frequency and be savvy, especially on a big pitch. Go between the lines.

"Spurs have lots of mid-career stream guys with lots of energy who show and have desire.

"Arsenal are more measured and what I have noticed is their defence no longer goes into a trance due to the slow build-up in midfield. They now stay alert."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in