Dominik Szoboszlai: Arsenal aren’t champions yet, you don’t win the Premier League in January | Football News

It is still too early to crown Arsenal Premier League champions, says Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai ahead of the two sides meeting at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports.

The reigning Premier League champions travel to the capital sitting in fourth place in the standings, a whopping 14 points off leaders Arsenal after what has been a difficult title defence for Arne Slot’s side.

Another victory for the Gunners, who have lost just two league games all season, would keep Mikel Arteta’s team in pole position to win the league for the first time since Arsene Wenger ‘Invincibles’ in 2003-04.

However, Szoboszlai, who will be one of the first names down on the visitors’ team sheet on Thursday evening after an outstanding individual season that has so far yielded five goals and five assists in all competitions, has warned Arteta and Co not to look too far ahead in the title race, especially with Man City and Aston Villa just six points adrift.

“It’s a long way,” Szoboszlai said. “The Premier League is not easy and you don’t win it by January, I don’t think so [playing against the champions]. They are playing against the champions. They know as well, they are one of the favourites and an unbelievable team with unbelievable players.

Premier League is not easy and you don’t win it by January.

“They can’t forget about City and Villa, they are doing really well. No, we don’t play against the champions; they are playing against the champions.”

As for the champions’ own hopes of retaining the title this campaign, not even a strong second half to the season would give Liverpool a chance such is the points gap between them and Arsenal, according to the Hungary captain.

“It’s crazy because if I go back to last year, by February we were 10 points clear and I was still saying we have not won it yet,” he says. “But inside, I was like, this is the chance.

“Now probably, because we are so many points behind, we can’t think long term. Dream, we can talk about it, but we have to think game by game and have to perform to show we can even be in the top four. We need things to go our way, why not?”

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The Reds have already lost six league matches this season, two more than in the whole of their title-wining campaign, with the 25-year-old saying he and his team-mates must handle the pressure that comes with such a poor run of form.

“It happens sometimes,” he explained. “Last year when the manager came in, no one was thinking we had a chance to win it, but then we started very well and we kept on going.

“If you asked anybody, they wouldn’t think we could win and the chances were small. Now, we started good and the luck was on our side, but it showed we are ready again. Sometimes comes a little hit and you don’t react as you should, you saw it last season with City.

“Now you have to realise what you are aiming for. Game by game as we cannot look long term.

“It’s very tough, but different at other teams. It is what you want, actually. This is why you come here and play for the biggest clubs in the world, for the pressure. Whether you are winning or losing. We have to handle this.

“It is not my job to say it [what they need to fix]. We have so many people in the club to find solutions and they will, I’m pretty sure. Every player has a couple things that they are thinking, but they will keep it to themselves. We are going to grow as a group because we are Liverpool, we are the champions of England.”

The champions travel to Arsenal on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions, having lost nine of their previous 12 matches in total.

“We were deep down so from there, everything is progress,” he added.

“We are trying to get back to where we belong. Not just the position, but we would like to play the same football like last season. The other teams know now, they saw us last season. They try to hurt us everywhere they can. But still, if you want to compete for something, you have to find solutions.”

One player who will not be involved in north London on Thursday, though, is last season’s double Footballer of the Year, Mohamed Salah, who is currently leading Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The forward’s future at Anfield is still in doubt after a very public falling out with Slot when he claimed he was being “thrown under the bus” by the club during their losing run late last year.

Despite the situation “saddening” Szoboszlai, the midfielder still hopes Salah will return to fire the Reds back up the table.

“I think it is very close [friendship]. From day one, he got me under his wing and tried to help me with as many things as I asked him. To learn from him. We become closer everyday and trust each other even more. I know many things about him that no one knows.

“Yeah [sad to see]. It was not nice to see it, but he is professional enough to handle his situation. I never got involved. I knew I couldn’t [help] as he will do it for himself. I was there for him every day. He will handle this, he has the character to deal with it.

“Everyone hopes that he is going to come back after AFCON and help us the way he did last season, but that is his decision and the club’s decision. As a team-mate, I love to play with him and know what he can do. He showed enough that he is able to do anything.”