Paul Merson has named the one Arsenal player that makes him worry in the title race this season.

The former Arsenal star is confident of the Gunners’ title chances – as they sit two points off leaders Liverpool with a game in hand. 

Mikel Arteta’s side missed out on the title by five points last season and the Sky Sports pundit feels they are now the team to beat.

‘Arsenal are a different team now,’ Merson told Sky Sports. ‘They’ve learned a lot from last season and Declan Rice has taken them to another level. I think they will go on and win it now.

Paul Merson has named the one Arsenal star that makes him ‘worry’ in the title race

Merson (left) insists Oleksandr Zinchenko (right) should only play against bottom-half teams

‘This could be their problem: The left-back. That’s poor defending [against Liverpool].

‘That’s my worry. I think they need Zinchenko for games against bottom-half teams, where they can go and play and dominate the game, but when they play the big boys [they don’t].

‘They are nice fixtures [coming up against West Ham, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest]. They should win all four.

‘If they don’t, you’re not entitled to win the Premier League. You’ve got to beat those teams and then the big games look after themselves.

‘But I make Arsenal the team now. Coming out of the Liverpool game with a draw, and those next four fixtures, that’s 22 [games played].

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Zinchenko has also taken criticism from another former Arsenal star in Martin Keown this week. 

It comes after he failed to stop Mohamed Salah from scoring an equaliser against the Gunners in their 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

Zinchenko had a tough time against the forward all game, and Keown said Zinchenko could affect their chances of a first league title in two decades.

Zinchenko failed to stop Mohamed Salah from scoring Liverpool’s equaliser against Arsenal

Keown told talkSPORT: ‘I’ve got to be honest with you, and I’ve seen him not just this game and it was a huge game, I think he might cost Arsenal the Premier League.

‘That’s how big of a problem it is. That’s not me criticising him saying he’s a terrible player because he’s not, he’s played for Manchester City, been there done it before.

‘He’s certainly done it at Arsenal and it’s quite hard to criticise him at times when you think over the last year-and-a-half what him and I suppose his family and everything have been through. But judging on football and what I’ve seen, I think he’s a problem for Arsenal.’

Arteta’s side will go back top if they beat West Ham at the Emirates on Thursday night.