Jamie Carragher has slammed Arsenal, claiming the North London club are going backwards with a place in the top four ‘virtually impossible’ for them.
As reported by Daily Mail, Jamie Carragher has launched a scathing attack, claiming they are only getting worse. The Liverpool legend also thinks that a place in the top four is ‘virtually impossible’ for the North London club, with just 11 games left in the Premier League campaign.
Arsenal have blown hot and cold all through the campaign, never once managing to string together an extended run of positive results. The Gunners’ inconsistent performances have left them lagging behind in the top four race, with a title tilt never coming into the picture.
The North Londoners are currently placed sixth on the Premier League table, a massive seven points adrift of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The gap between the two clubs further widened last week following the North London derby as Spurs beat Arsenal 1-0, with the Gunners never managing to threaten much.
The aftermath of the match has also provided a damning statistic about Arsenal’s performances in away games this season – a major reason for the gulf between them and the rest of the sides. While Arsene Wenger’s men have the third best home record in the league, they have only managed to garner 13 points from 14 games on the road so far – only the ninth best.
Go back further into the 2016-17 season, and the numbers don’t improve much for Wenger & co. Arsenal have only amassed 26 points in their last 26 away games, 18 less than Tottenham, who have the fifth best record among the “Top 6” sides. And Sky Sports pundit Carragher has questioned their mentality upon taking the stat into account.
Arsenal’s home & away form…
Last 26 games – simply not good enough. pic.twitter.com/9WkiAPWwM1
— ArsenalFanTV (@ArsenalFanTV) February 13, 2018
“I’ve always questioned Arsenal’s mentality. But you’ve always felt they were good enough. I actually still question the mentality but they’re not good enough now. That’s the big thing. Arsenal are actually getting worse now. They’re not getting better.”
“If you go back to the MNF we did against Crystal Palace at the end of last season, I called them cowards. Maybe afterwards when we calmed down a little bit, you reflect and think maybe that was a bit strong, but those stats back it up; 26 points from 26 away games is an embarrassment for a team who are supposedly one of the top teams in the country.”
It is quite clear that Arsenal’s away day woes could come back to haunt them come the end of the season, with a top four finish looking like a distant dream. A Europa League win, like Manchester United did last season, seems like their best route back into the Champions League, and Carragher feels the same way.
“I think it is virtually impossible for them [to reach top four]. They’re not catching Manchester United, it is very difficult to catch Liverpool because of the points gap and Liverpool’s next two games are two winnable home games against West Ham and Newcastle, while Arsenal’s next game is Man City.”
“Tottenham are seven points clear of them and are the best team in the league – and have been for the past couple of years – in the second half of the season.”
“And also the biggest reason is they’re not good enough. So they’ve got a points deficit and they’re not as good as any of those sides. They have to prioritise the Europa League because they won’t be getting top four.”
What is clear though, is that the pressure is growing on Arsene Wenger, with the poor results not helping his case. Arsenal are reportedly scouring replacement options, as per a few reports, and 2017-18 could just be the season when his spell at the club comes to an end.
