NEW DELHI: It’s been five years since Mikel Arteta joined Arsenal and led the side to the 2020 FA Cup trophy. However, the Spaniard has been under fire in recent days with the club struggling across all competitions. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has raised the question ‘whether Arteta has already peaked at Arsenal’.
The side has now finished second in the past two consecutive Premier League seasons and is currently four points behind Liverpool in the title race—with the Merseyside club having a game in hand – have been eliminated from the FA Cup by the hands of Manchester United, and trail Newcastle United by 0-2 after the first leg of the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
“Have we already witnessed the peak years of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal reign? It feels like this Emirates era is heading towards a crossroads, with Arsenal in the middle of a high-stakes game.
“This will either be one of the greatest seasons in the club’s history – ending a 21-year wait for the Premier League title – or a campaign which ends amid a highly charged post-season review into how they squandered their best chance to become champions in two decades. For now, Arsenal are just about doing enough to keep the optimists on board the Arteta train. However, emotions are running high, ” wrote Carragher in a column for The Telegraph.
Arsenal went a stretch of three games in a row without a win before an impressive outing against Tottenham Hotspur, where the Gunners registered an important 2-1 victory. However, Carragher suggested that the game against Aston Villa on the weekend would be a symbolic victory for the North London side.
Arsenal were a point ahead of Manchester City in the 2023-24 PL season before losing against Aston Villa, their only loss in the second half of the season, which saw the Gunners miss out on their first league title in two-decades by two points.
“Now they need a series of statement performances and victories to convince the world they are title material. With respect, beating a tippy-tappy Tottenham Hotspur team that resembles an academy side is not one of them. Wednesday brought an important victory, but not an especially impressive one.
“A win over Aston Villa this weekend, by contrast, will be more symbolic and consequential. There are demons to banish against Villa. Unai Emery dented his former club’s title hopes last April, the 2-0 victory sucking the belief out of the home fans. Had Arsenal won that day, they would have won the title, ” Carragher added.
The biggest issue for the Gunners will be the lack of attacking firepower in front of goal. The Gunners did not make an attacking signing heading into the season and are now left with a gap in the position. With Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka out with injuries, the Gunners are expected to enter the January transfer window in hopes of working out a deal.
Carragher concluded by stating Arsenal will not be able to win the league without another striker. “Arsenal cannot win the title without another attacker. That was true before Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus’s injuries. If they do not react before the end of this month it will be negligent because persisting with a strikeforce of Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli will not get the job done.”
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