Theo Walcott makes Premier League title prediction after Arsenal wobble | Football

Theo Walcott says he is ‘very comfortable’ Arsenal will recover from their mini-blip to end their long wait for the Premier League title.

Arsenal have seen their lead at the top reduced to just four points having faltered in each of their last three games against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.

The Gunners’ clash with United got off to a positive start as Lisandro Martinez directed the ball into his own net on the half-hour mark at the Emirates.

But the visitors showed great resilience to emerge with a 3-2 victory, with stunning strikes from Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha extending Michael Carrick’s dream start as interim manager.

Earlier in the weekend, Manchester City and Aston Villa had beaten Wolves and Newcastle respectively keep the pressure firmly on the league leaders ahead of their upcoming trip to Leeds.

However, given Arsenal’s defeat was only their third of the campaign thus far, Walcott insists there is no need for fans to start ‘panicking’.

‘They’ve lost three games all year, they hadn’t lost for a long period of time,’ the ex-Arsenal and England forward told DR Sports.

‘It was a completely different Manchester United team, that’s no excuse.

‘I wouldn’t be panicking at all, no, because they have been in this position before.

‘At times this year, everyone has been struggling. People are saying that Arsenal are struggling now… it’s one game.

‘I always felt that going away to Sunderland, who haven’t lost at all at home, was a good result. Nottingham Forest were fighting for their lives, they genuinely are. These teams are competitive.’

According to Walcott, Arsenal supporters should ‘trust’ Mikel Arteta’s squad to get the job done given they are well on track to do what they set out to before the season had begun.

‘For me, as long as they finish above Liverpool and Manchester City, that was the task at the start of the season,’ he added.

‘They’re still doing that now, they’re four points clear.

‘They’re going into a period where, yes, they have exceptional period, but the frustrating side for Arsenal fans is they want them to be unleashed, at times, a bit more. I get that.

‘We’ve just go to trust exactly what’s going on. It’s fine.

‘I think the players will start to be impacted by that environment if we start putting more and more pressure on them.’

Walcott believes the one ‘problem for Arsenal, both domestically and in Europe, is the squad’s lack of experience in lifting major silverware compared to the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.

‘Yes, they’re top and top for a reason: because they’re doing something right,’ the two-time FA Cup winner explained.

‘The only problem for Arsenal is they’ve not won anything. Those other teams have that experience of winning, Manchester City, Liverpool etcetera.