Chelsea manager Antonio Conte doesn’t see how Arsenal can’t challenge for the Premier League title as he believes they have a squad of top players.
Arsenal have not won the title since 2004 and have rarely put up a challenge to win it back in recent years. They finished outside the top four last season for the first time in two decades.
Arsene Wenger has received criticism for the club’s failure to mount a serious title challenge for years and his recruitment has again come under the scanner after the end of the summer window.
Arsenal have already lost two games and there are suggestions that their title challenge could be over this early in the season if they lose at Chelsea on Sunday, but Conte feels there is no reason why the Gunners can’t fight for the title as they still have a top squad.
Asked if a win on Sunday could end Arsenal’s title challenge this early in the season, Conte said in a press conference: “For sure Arsenal are a big rival for the title, if you see their squad they have a lot of top players.
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“I don’t understand why they can’t fight for the title, they lost only one player in [Alex Oxlade-]Chamberlain but kept all the rest.
"They have many top players.”
The Italian also doesn’t feel Chelsea have any advantage over Arsenal despite getting extra days to prepare this week as Wenger rested a number of players against 1.FC Koln in the Europa League on Thursday night.
He added: “I have watched the game.
“Wenger rotated a lot of players and they were rested for the game against us.
"It is not an advantage.”
