Petit: Chelsea Failing to Secure Champions League Spot Would Be Failure, It Is Too Early to Talk About Title Challenge

Petit, the former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder, has already ruled Chelsea out of this season's Premier League title race. He said it is too early to consider Chelsea genuine title favourites at this stage, as this is ultimately only Alonso's first season managing in England's top flight.

Speaking in an interview with TalkSport, Petit said: "As I said, I am optimistic about this for many reasons. I trust Alonso, and I also believe the players have the desire for redemption."

"Many players in the squad were deeply disappointed last season, and I expect them to produce good performances this season. They owe the fans, they owe the club, and they also owe themselves an explanation."

"I think they fell short in many aspects last season, but the biggest issue, in my opinion, was that the players lacked commitment."

Petit continued: "In my view, if Chelsea do not secure Champions League qualification at the end of the season, it will be a failure. I think that is their minimum target."

"As I said, I believe Arsenal have a chance to win back-to-back Premier League titles. I will say it again, Chelsea will fight for the championship until the end, but it may still be too early for them to become a genuine title contender capable of staying in the race until the finish this season."

"However, I believe that with the condition of not having to compete in European competitions, along with the various factors I mentioned earlier, Chelsea can still achieve something this season."

However, not everyone is pessimistic about Chelsea's title chances. Shearer still believes that even if the Blues lose to the Gunners on Sunday, they remain capable of challenging for the title.

When asked who would be Arsenal's biggest rivals in the Premier League title race, Shearer said on the podcast The Rest Is Football: "Chelsea and Manchester City. I would lean more towards Manchester City."

"Manchester United do not have enough defensive ability and simply cannot challenge the teams mentioned above."