Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright believes the Gunners’ early season form masked faults that are now holding the team back.
Arsenal fans were given ‘false hope’ by a run of 22 games unbeaten, according to Wright.
Will Arsenal make the top four? Five key things to know…
- Arsenal changed manager for the first time in 22 years last summer when Unai Emery replaced Arsene Wenger.
- The new manager brought in several new players and changed the style of play.
- After losing the first two games, Arsenal went on a 22-match unbeaten, giving fans hope of a positive campaign.
- Since that run, the club have won just four league games, leaving them outside the top four.
- Former striker Ian Wright believes the good run hid some of their flaws which are now coming home to roost.
As it stands, the Gunners are outside of the top four, trailing fifth-placed Manchester United by a point and fourth-placed Chelsea by three.
If Arsenal are to make the Champions League places this season then they are going to need to be better defensively, which was highlighted in their recent defeats.
In losses to Southampton, Liverpool, West Ham and Manchester City since the run ended, the Gunners conceded 12 goals, scoring just four in reply.
Their former talisman, Wright, told Radio 5 Live: “Going back to the unbeaten run, I think that gave people false hope in respect to finishing fourth.
“It was a great run but during that run, there were times in it where you thought, ‘Ooh, that was a bit tricky for us, could have done better here, could have done better there.’
“But the fact is that that kind of elevated everybody’s expectations a bit and I still feel top four is still out of our reach if I’m going to be totally honest.”
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Wright went on to express his beliefs that Arsenal should be focussing on winning the Europa League, which would give the Gunners a direct route to next season’s Champions League.
He added: “The Europa League is something that Arsenal should be really focusing on, for me.
“To be honest, it’s the only thing you can focus on because if you look at the way it has gone in the Premier League, and it looks like they’ve fallen away a bit, Arsenal.
“Chelsea look like they’re maybe going to emerge a little bit now they’ve got the striker they need, Man United are really on form.
“You have to say that it’s looking a little bit worrying in respect of top four.
“But I think that Europa League is what Arsenal should be focusing on.
“The manager’s got a bit of pedigree in it and I think we can get some guys back [from injury] and have a blast for that.”
Arsenal did manage to bring in Dennis Suarez on loan from Barcelona during the transfer window and will be looking to the midfielder to inject some life into the squad as the season hits crunch time.
READ MORE: Arsenal’s next Alexis? How Denis Suárez could relaunch his career by reuniting with Unai Emery
Can Arsenal win the Europa League?
Wright clearly feels the Gunners’ best bet is to focus on winning the Europa League, with their Premier League form not consistent enough to challenge for a top-four finish.
Arsenal are through to the last 32 and will face BATE in the next round. Emery’s experience in the competition, winning the Europa League three years in a row with Sevilla could give the Gunners the edge.
And with key men coming back from injury, Arsenal’s squad is one of the best in the competition.
In the next month, Shkodran Mustafi (back), Granit Xhaka (groin) and Sokratis (ankle) should all return to the lineup, giving Emery more options ahead of some crucial games.
The post Arsenal’s unbeaten run created false hope, says Ian Wright appeared first on Squawka News.
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