Ex-England forward Peter Crouch has backed Liverpool to win the Premier League title (Picture: Getty)
Peter Crouch predicts Liverpool will win the Premier League to give Jurgen Klopp the perfect send-off this season, but believes Arsenal have ‘put themselves right back in the mix’ for the title.
A resurgent Arsenal embarked on an eight-match winning streak to ensure they went into the international break at the top of the table with ten games remaining of the campaign.
The Gunners travel to champions Manchester City for what promises to be a titanic battle at the Etihad this weekend, while Liverpool welcome Brighton to Anfield.
At the start of the season, Crouch backed Klopp to add a second Premier League title to his impressive trophy haul on Merseyside, despite Pep Guardiola’s City riding high off the back of a historic treble last term.
Speaking to talkSPORT this week, the former Liverpool and England striker said he was sticking with his initial prediction, but applauded Arsenal for the way in which they had bounced back from an immensely challenging winter period.
‘I said Liverpool [would win the title] at the start of the season and I think plenty of people will say there is a bias there and they’re probably slightly right,’ Crouch told the Hawksbee & Jacobs Show.
‘But Arsenal have played themselves back into the conversation for me.
Klopp’s Liverpool sit behind top-of-the-table Arsenal on goal difference (Picture: Getty)
‘Manchester City will obviously be favourites given the recent history and you would say it’s a two-horse race, but Arsenal have just put themselves right back in the mix now.
‘The amount of games that Arsenal have played where they have just won so convincingly… if they get their injured players back then it’s definitely a three-horse race.
‘But I’m going to stick with Liverpool. I still think they can do it.’
Crouch said Terry was the toughest defender he ever faced (Picture: Getty)
Moving on to his own career during the wide-ranging chat, Crouch reeled off a long list of legendary defenders he faced during his playing days.
But the ex-England international said Chelsea great John Terry was ‘probably the best of the bunch’.
‘I always remember getting schooled by Tony Adams in one of my first games,’ Crouch added.
Crouch and Terry were team-mates with the Three Lions (Picture: Getty)
‘I was at QPR. It was a cup game, it wasn’t Premier League. I remember Tony Adams and I think it would have been Steve Bould, maybe.
‘I thought I was a Premier League player at the age of 18 but I was playing in the Championship and I thought, “Yeah, I’m scoring goals at this level, I’ll make Premier League level no worries”.
‘Then I came up against Tony Adams and that view changed very quickly. What a defender he was.
‘I think over the years, Sol Campbell gave me a big test because he is so physically strong.
‘But John Terry was probably the best of the bunch, I think.’
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