John Terry has said he expects Chelsea to remain 'hit and miss' throughout the season while 'unfortunately' naming Arsenal as the 'clear favourites' to win the Premier League title.
Arsenal's strong start and first setback
Arsenal began their title defence in impressive form, winning their opening four matches and conceding just one goal. However, the reigning champions suffered their first setback before the international break, losing comprehensively to Brighton in a surprise result at the Amex Stadium.
That result left Manchester City as the only other team with a perfect record in the English top flight this term, though the league leaders are currently in disarray after being found guilty of breaching financial rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.
Chelsea's difficult start under Xabi Alonso
Chelsea have had a far from ideal introduction under new manager Xabi Alonso, picking up only seven points from a possible 15 in his first five matches in charge. The poor start has left Terry downbeat about the club's title chances, though he remains hopeful of a top-four finish.
Asked who will finish higher out of Arsenal and Chelsea, the former England captain told Theo Walcott on the latter's TikTok page: 'Unfortunately, it's going to be Arsenal.'
'We [Chelsea] had a good start and we gave you guys [Arsenal] a good game actually,' Terry added. 'Since that game we've been hit and miss to be honest and I think that's going to be our season.'
Terry's verdict on Arsenal
Terry believes the Gunners have 'everything' required to continue their dominance following last season's success. 'I just think you guys [Arsenal] have got everything at the minute,' he said.
'It's not ideal. I think Chelsea have always had a team that is really solid from the back, players in the team that are capable of scoring, and Arsenal look everything of that. They're very solid and also, what I love about them at the minute, really aggressive, players that are up for the fight.'
'Once you win that battle you can then dominate the ball and Arsenal have always been capable of doing that. So unfortunately, it hurts me to say, Arsenal are clear favourites [for the title].'
Arsenal will look to close the gap at the top when they host Leeds in just over a week's time, while Manchester City travel to Liverpool for a potentially intriguing match at Anfield.
