Thierry Henry wowed by Arsenal trio with title message, but ‘not surprised’ at Tottenham with brutal swipe

Thierry Henry says Arsenal need to get through the next couple of months relatively unscathed to claim they are Premier League title contenders.

The Gunners suffered frustration last season after agonisingly losing out on a top-four finish to Tottenham. Furthermore, it was a 3-0 defeat to their north London rivals which swung the race in Spurs’ favour.

Although, Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday was a statement of their progress since then.

The result kept Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table after eight games and to one defeat – to Manchester United. Indeed, their start is among the top 10 best starts to a Premier League campaign.

The jury is out as to whether Mikel Arteta’s side can actually sustain a Premier League title challenge. According to former striker Henry, the Gunners need to prove their credentials either side of the World Cup.

And as for third-placed Tottenham, Henry admitted he half-expected their slump at the Emirates Stadium.

“What is it – eight games in the league? Back to competing, I would say,” Henry told CBS Sports. “What is nice to see is a team that can compete.

“Competing and for me, I always say it’s not because it’s Arsenal or any different team, when you pass Boxing Day and Christmas, it’s going to be different because you have the World Cup.

“But when you pass January and you’re still up there, competing for the title, then you’re a title contender.

“I’m not surprised with the result because whenever they come to us, I don’t know what happens with them, but they don’t usually perform – one win in 29 visits, so it usually happens.”

Thierry Henry lauds Arsenal progress

Henry then directed his praise at Arsenal trio Gabriel Jesus, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Jesus signed from Manchester City in the summer for £45million, with Zinchenko also leaving the Etihad Stadium.

Saliba has been at Arsenal since 2019, but has only got his chance this season after a string of loan spells back in his native France.

“But what I like with the Arsenal team right now is that it’s a different team,” Henry said. “If you talk about something that’s important, it’s a different team.

“Gabriel Jesus is really changing, not only him, Saliba at the back allows them to play in a back four, so Mikel goes into what Pep [Guardiola] does also with [Manchester] City with Zinchenko.

“Xhaka is playing way better. That’s what I was more impressed with than the result because that happens all the time.”

Gunners need to continue momentum

Arsenal are building some strong momentum this season and the win over Tottenham definitely cemented that.

The Gunners are also going well in the Europa League and face their second group stage match against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.

However, Sunday’s mammoth Premier League clash with Liverpool is another opportunity to lay down a marker.

Last season, the verdict was that Arsenal had definitely improved against their top-six rivals, but were not on the same level.

That proved true against the Reds in their league meeting in March. Arsenal stood firm for 45 minutes, before Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners in the second half.

This term, a defeat to Manchester United added to concerns over games against their rivals.

But, the win over Tottenham has set them up for potentially two statement wins in a row against the teams also battling to finish in the upper echelons of the Premier League table.

READ MORE: Arsenal approach for Atletico Madrid ace detailed by player’s father, who admits Gunners are ‘his favourite team’