Paul Merson has demanded Arsenal forget about the title – with their Champions League spot now under threat.
The Gunners were Liverpool‘s closest rivals for the Premier League crown for large parts of the campaign. But a run of three league games without a win has seen Mikel Arteta’s side slip 15 points off of the pace.
And while the title looks gone, Arsenal’s place in the top four could potentially be snatched away from them should their poor form continue. Nottingham Forest and Chelsea are breathing down their necks, while a clutch of other clubs are in contention for a top-four place.
Manchester City, down in fifth place, are only eight points behind the Gunners while Brighton in sixth trail them by nine. And Merson believes all efforts should now be put into securing their spot in the 2025/26 Champions League. Asked by Sky Sports if the title race is over, he replied: “Yes. Fifth are nearer to Arsenal than Arsenal are to first. I’d be saying they have to concentrate and make sure they get in the top four!
“They are so far away. Liverpool would need to lose half their football matches and they have lost one all season. It is not going to happen. It is over. They have no cutting edge.”
Should Arsenal slip out of the Champions League places, it would leave them with just one route back into the competition – by winning it this term. Arteta’s side are all-but assured of their place in the quarter-finals after beating PSV in their last-16 first leg.
Arsenal will play either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the next round. But Rio Ferdinand is not convinced of the North London side’s chances of glory, with their lack of a forward seriously harming them.
“I think they’re probably the fifth-best team in the Champions League on that side of the draw,” he said. “I’m not even talking about the whole competition, on that side of the draw.
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“They’re behind Liverpool, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Arsenal are the fifth-best team on that side of the draw. That’s mad. They’ve gone further away from where they were last year. They’ve gone backwards, I do believe that. The recruitment needs to be shifted a little bit.
“You can’t have a CDM [Mikel Merino] playing up front when you’re trying to win the Premier League and Champions League. They had an opportunity in January [to sign a new striker] but there wasn’t loads available.
“I definitely would have made a beeline for a centre-forward, 100 per cent. Kai Havertz has done an okay job but you need an out-and-out No. 9, surely.”
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