David James backs Manchester City to reclaim Premier League title despite favouring Arsenal

James believes Mikel Arteta's side have made an impressive start to their campaign but is backing his former club to overcome their recent setbacks and return to winning ways, with Erling Haaland leading their charge.The Premier League title race is shaping up to be another closely fought contest, with Arsenal and Manchester City emerging as leading contenders.Speaking on JioHotstar, the Premier League legend shared his assessment of the title contenders and explained why he is backing Manchester City to get their hands on the trophy. He also reflected on how the demands of winning the Premier League have changed over the years, while discussing the growing influence of data analytics and the evolution of modern goalkeeping. Manchester City will take on Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with the action live on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.James was particularly impressed by Arsenal's approach under Arteta, praising their discipline and ability to get the basics right. However, his association with Manchester City means his hopes are firmly with the blue side of Manchester.Arsenal are the favourites to lift the Premier League title this year after their success last season. They are displaying a serious and beautiful brand of football, and they have lost just one game so far. They even defeated Liverpool at Anfield and didn't even give them the chance to score, which says a lot about how Mikel Arteta has built this Arsenal side. They seem to be doing the basics right at this early stage rather than trying to do too much. But Manchester City have surprised me. They were on a seven-match unbeaten streak, and then suddenly, they lost two games on the trot. That kind of dip is unlike them. But I feel it's too early to rule them out as the Premier League challengers to Arsenal. Still, one of these two clubs will be lifting the trophy. And because I have played for the blue side of Manchester, I'm rooting for Manchester City, and I really hope that they can, with Erling Haaland, get the deal done this year and get back to the trophy-winning ways," James told JioHotstar.

James believes the Premier League title race has become increasingly competitive, leaving little room for error. Citing Leicester City's 2015-16 title triumph with 81 points, he highlighted how consistency and avoiding defeats have become crucial to winning the title.The pre-2000s era was essentially a watershed moment for the Premier League. Pre-2000, you could lose eight or nine games and still win the league title comfortably. And then from 2000-2001 onwards, teams changed the way they wanted to become champions. In the 2015-16 season, when Leicester City lifted the Premier League trophy, they topped the points table with 81 points. However, in recent years, the trophy-winning points margin has changed massively.Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal have been pushing each other to the limits, and these clubs have won the Premier League title with 90+ point seasons. What's changed is that Premier League clubs now focus on not losing. They might draw games and drop points towards the end, but they ensure that they don't lose many games, which has completely changed how the modern-day Premier League functions. The margin for error is almost zero now. One bad week can cost you the title, and that is why the best teams treat every game like a final. It is no longer about how many games you win, but how few you lose, James added.James also highlighted how the role of goalkeepers has evolved, with modern players expected to contribute to attacking moves through their distribution. Drawing comparisons with cricket, he cited Liverpools Alisson Becker and Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma as examples of goalkeepers influencing their teams' build-up play."The fundamentals of goalkeeping haven't changed. You still need to stop the ball from going into the back of the net. Like in cricket, for example, batsmen need to hit the ball and bowlers need to bowl batsmen out. Similarly, goalkeepers still have to prevent the opposition players from scoring. The only thing that has changed is the way modern-day goalkeepers operate. Someone like Alisson of Liverpool, he's a guy who can stop the ball from going in the back of the net but also can do the distribution and help his team move the ball into attacking spaces. Players like Gianluigi Donnarumma, who plays for Man City, his passing helped them beat Manchester United 1-0 with 10 men in the derby. Donnarumma has evolved into a goalkeeper who handles the ball distribution from the back, and that has changed the dynamics of the team. In cricketing terms, when you're a good batsman, you don't have to worry so much about fielding. If you are a good fielder, then you don't have to worry so much about bowling. There's so much synergy in sport with cricket and football in this case."

James also discussed the growing influence of data analytics in football and cricket, noting how statistics have become central to assessing player performances and shaping team strategies. However, he stressed the need to balance data-driven decisions with the passion and emotion that make sport special for fans.Back in the old days, people read the newspaper and got a subjective opinion on a player's performance. Now people look at the data and work out whether it matches what the coach wants. So, if you're conceding goals but not because of your own fault, you won't be blamed. Back in the day, if a writer supported a different team, their opinion might be more biased against you. Cricket is the same. Everything you do is around data, and what looks aesthetically like a good game might not actually be a good game when you look at the data. Players in both cricket and football are now playing to the data rather than the romanticism of the game. It's a difficult balance because some fans don't care about data. They just want the passion. Owners of the biggest teams only want results, and sometimes that means losing the passion. Data is going to be king in cricket as it is in football, and players are going to grow up with data behind them. (ANI)