Former Premier League player: I don’t think Arsenal will win the championship, and teams such as Chengjun Che will join the final competition

October 28th Former England goalkeeper David James said that although he was "very impressed" by Arsenal, he still "didn't think Arsenal would win the championship."

With Arsenal currently at the top of the table, have you changed your mind from your early season prediction of fourth?

I'd be a fool if I said, no, I haven't changed my mind about Arsenal. There's something about Arsenal that I really like.

What specifically do you like? What progress have they made?

I like these data. They improved in many different areas. In the past, if they conceded goals, there was a strange statistic for most of last season that if they conceded goals in the first half, they couldn't score in the second half. This is a very strange statistic and I just question what is going on in the locker room. That has changed now, to the point where they were able to come back from half-time deficit to win the game. Look at that game against Manchester City, they went down 1-0 early on and they could have won that game at the Emirates Stadium if not for some extremely good defending. So they are making progress.

Despite this, you still seem to have concerns?

I guess people might look at the Fulham game and think, well, actually, you've got your best chance here, but it's still not exactly what I would expect from a team that's clearly in a great position. As I'm sure a lot of people would say, their test now is, now that they're at the top of the table, how are they going to cope?

You mentioned a warning about the Champions League?

There is also a warning, because last season they played 14 Champions League games. This means they played 14 Premier League games before the Champions League fixtures, but they only won four. This seems to indicate that they are clearly focused on the Champions League.

Why are they so focused on the Champions League?

Perhaps that's because Liverpool started to dominate the title race early on, but Arsenal seemed to place more emphasis on the Champions League than the Premier League, especially towards the end of the season when there was clearly a chance of reaching the final.

So what are the key challenges Arteta faces now?

The key now is how Arteta balances the Champions League and the Premier League, especially when you are leading in the Premier League.

So, do you ultimately think Arsenal can win the title?

If this is an answer, I don't think Arsenal will win the championship. I think the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool will be entering the final weeks of the season, if not the final games, and could decide the title. But it will be interesting to see how Arteta handles Champions League qualification and staying at the top of the Premier League, which I don't think they can do.