Former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry believes the club can win the Premier League for a second successive season, saying: “I see no competitors.”
Arsenal have made a perfect start to their title defence, recording two victories without conceding a goal. Mikel Arteta’s side opened with a 3-0 win over Coventry before following it with a 1-0 victory against Aston Villa.
Those results have strengthened Henry’s belief that Arsenal are capable of retaining the Premier League title. The former striker does not currently see another team as a clear challenger to the Gunners’ attempt to remain champions.
Henry’s assessment comes after Arsenal began the new campaign with six points from their opening two matches and an unbeaten defensive record. The contrast between the results was clear: Arsenal scored three times against Coventry and then secured a narrower success against Aston Villa, but in both matches they kept a clean sheet.
The Gunners will face another test on 6 September when they play Chelsea at home. That fixture will provide Arsenal with the opportunity to continue their winning start and maintain the momentum created by their opening victories.
For Henry, however, the early results have already offered enough encouragement to back Arsenal’s chances of claiming the championship again. His view is that no competitor has yet emerged to challenge the London club’s position at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal’s opening two matches have therefore set the tone for their campaign: two wins, two clean sheets and a 100% record. Coventry were beaten by a three-goal margin, while the meeting with Aston Villa was decided by a single goal.
The next match against Chelsea will be played at Arsenal’s home ground on 6 September. It will be the latest stage of the club’s attempt to defend the title and another chance for Arteta’s team to demonstrate whether the early signs identified by Henry can be sustained.
With the title defence having started so positively, Henry has offered a confident verdict on Arsenal’s prospects. His message is straightforward: after the opening victories over Coventry and Aston Villa, he does not see a rival capable of preventing the Gunners from winning the Premier League again.
