Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will be remembered in a similar way to Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham team if they fail to resurrect their Premier League title bid, says Jamie Carragher.
A nightmare few days have seen Arsenal relinquish control of the Premier League title race and slip out of the Champions League, losing 2-0 to Aston Villa and 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
With leaders Manchester City not in Premier League action this weekend due to their involvement in the FA Cup semi-finals, a win over Wolves on Saturday would take Arsenal back to the summit, but Pep Guardiola’s champions are now seen as firm favourites to retain their crown.
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Writing in The Telegraph, former England defender Carragher said Arteta’s reign is in danger of going the same way as Pochettino’s tenure with Spurs, who repeatedly threatened to win a major trophy under the Argentine only to fall short.
“Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are in danger of becoming Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs; a side to be admired for nearly being great,” Carragher wrote.
“Unless Arsenal rapidly brush off their Champions League disappointment to win the Premier League, the north London rivals can exchange notes about how cruel football can be.
“Recognition for doing such a good job will be no consolation if history judges Arteta’s reign without a Premier League or Champions League on his CV.
“The brutal reality is any Arsenal team that does not win one of the biggest prizes will never be more than an afterthought and will be spoken about in almost patronising terms when compared to double winners or ‘Invincibles’.
Just look at the away end after Ollie Watkins put @AVFCOfficial 2-0 up against Arsenal 🫨 pic.twitter.com/op1dfglMAY
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 17, 2024
“This weekend’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers has become one of Arsenal’s biggest tests of the year to ensure there is no hangover from the loss to Bayern Munich.
“They are still in the title race while teetering on the brink. Three defeats in a week would mean the season is effectively over in terms of silverware.”
Should Arsenal fail to wrestle the Premier League trophy away from City, Carragher says large-scale investment will be required to ensure the Gunners do not fall away in the way Pochettino’s Spurs did.
“That will beg the inevitable question, ‘what next for the Arteta project?’ We talk a lot about taking the ‘next step’ in football, and generally mean moving forward,” he continued.
“Spurs managed to get so far between 2015 and 2019 before it unravelled without a trophy. No matter how much promise there is, the windows of opportunity close quickly.
“Whether Arsenal win the title or not, big decisions are needed to ensure Arteta can give his squad the necessary injection of class to continue competing with City next season, without offloading too many of those who brought the team so far.”
Fight until the end ✊ pic.twitter.com/RmgWhbmIpI
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 18, 2024
