Mikel Arteta Responds to Gary Neville’s Criticism of Arsenal’s Title Hopes
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hit back at Gary Neville’s assessment of the team’s chances of winning the Premier League title. Neville recently claimed that Arsenal’s lack of ruthlessness in attack could ultimately cost them the championship. However, Arteta is confident that his team has enough goalscorers to compete at the top.
Neville, a pundit for Sky Sports, suggested that Arsenal, despite being a better team than Liverpool, lack the killer instinct needed in the final third of the pitch. He stated that this could be a significant disadvantage for the Gunners and could ultimately prevent them from winning the league.
Arteta, however, disagrees with Neville’s assessment. When asked about the criticism, Arteta told Sky Sports, “Well, that’s a fact that we haven’t had a player that scores 25 or 30 goals in the last however many years. But it’s what we have, and within that, we believe that we can still be very close [to winning the title]. We’re going to try for sure.”
The Arsenal manager is confident in his team’s ability to score goals, highlighting the performances of players like Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli. Arteta pointed out that Odegaard and Saka both scored 15 goals last season despite not having a prolific scoring record before. He believes that with the right mentality and hard work, any player can become a prolific forward.
Arteta also dismissed suggestions of signing a more prolific striker, stating that it is not a conversation for now. He emphasized the importance of working with the current players and helping them improve their goal-scoring abilities.
Arsenal currently sits five points behind league leaders Liverpool with a game in hand. They face a tough test on Sunday with an away trip to face West Ham at the London Stadium. The Gunners will be looking to close the gap on the top and prove that they have what it takes to compete for the title.
In conclusion, while Gary Neville believes that Arsenal’s lack of ruthlessness in attack could cost them the title, Mikel Arteta remains confident in his team’s ability to score goals. He believes that with the right mentality and hard work, any player can become a prolific forward. Arsenal will continue to fight for the title and aim to prove their critics wrong as they face West Ham this weekend.