Frank Leboeuf has revised his Premier League top-four prediction, dropping Manchester City from second to fifth after their 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in Cardiff.
City's Heavy Loss
Enzo Maresca's first official match in charge ended in disappointment as his side fell well short of expectations. Riccardo Calafiori put Arsenal ahead within 24 seconds, and Kai Havertz doubled the lead on the half-hour mark, with Christos Tzolis providing the assist on his full debut. Tzolis added a second shortly after the interval, and Martin Odegaard sealed the win.
Leboeuf's Revised Prediction
Speaking to ESPN after the match, Leboeuf explained that City are 'not ready' and are missing key players. He noted that Marc Guehi was on the bench and Erling Haaland was 'a ghost'. He said: 'I cannot be positive. I thought that they could be second and it's what I thought before the game, but after the game… it's impossible for me to see City higher than fifth.'
Leboeuf's new top-six prediction places Arsenal first, followed by Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham.
Chelsea Optimism
Leboeuf also expressed optimism about his former club Chelsea, who start their Premier League campaign away to Fulham. He cited their lack of European involvement as a potential advantage, saying: 'I want to see Chelsea better. They have the individuals for that, they have the squad, they have the coach for that who can do miracles and we saw that when he was working with young players at Bayer Leverkusen.'
