Kyle Walker has claimed that Manchester City are a tougher opponent than Arsenal, despite the Gunners leading the Premier League title race. The Burnley defender, who won six league titles with City, said Arsenal's set-pieces are 'horrific' to defend but insisted his former side remain the benchmark.
Speaking to Sky Bet, Walker acknowledged Arsenal's improvement under Mikel Arteta but stopped short of ranking them above City. 'No, Arsenal are not harder to play against this season compared to Manchester City,' he said. 'City know what they're doing, and it's ingrained in them because there's a core group of players there that know what is needed.'
Walker, 35, described the challenge of facing Arsenal's set-pieces as 'horrific', noting the movement of defenders Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba. He recalled a specific goal where he was tasked with marking Gabriel but lost him due to clever movement. 'The movement is just not normal in football,' he added.
Despite his preference for City, Walker believes Arsenal are better equipped to win the title this season than in previous years. 'Arsenal have put themselves in a very good position,' he said. 'Do I think that Arsenal are more equipped this year than what they have in the previous years? Yes, definitely.'
Arsenal currently sit nine points clear at the top of the table with seven games remaining, while Manchester City have a game in hand and a home match against the Gunners still to play. Burnley, managed by Vincent Kompany, are second from bottom and face Fulham on Saturday.
