“They’ll be Worried!” – Former Arsenal Star Isn’t Convinced by Gunners’ Premier League Title Push | OneFootball

“They’ll be Worried!” – Former Arsenal Star Isn’t Convinced by The Gunners’ Title Push

The weekend was another intriguing chapter in the Premier League title race, with both Arsenal and Liverpool securing crucial wins but not quite in the fashion that had been expected.

Arsenal secured a slim 2-0 win away at Leicester City with two late goals from super-sub Mikel Merino, operating as a makeshift striker in the absence of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Photo: IMAGO

Sunday saw Arne Slot’s Liverpool also secure a tough three points with a narrow 2-1 win over Wolves at Anfield. The gap between the two clubs in the league table remains seven points, with Liverpool facing two crucial away fixtures at Aston Villa and Manchester City this week.

A win at Villa Park would see that gap grow to ten points ahead of Arsenal’s home clash with West Ham United on Saturday.

Former Arsenal midfielder Jermaine Pennant spoke exclusively to EPL Index and shared his thoughs on their title chances…

“Worrying Times for Arsenal”

Reflecting on the Gunners’ 2-0 win at Leicester City, Pennant said: “It was a really tight one and it looked like it had 0-0 wrote all over it. I just couldn’t see Arsenal scoring.”

“Obviously, they got the goals in the end, which is huge, but I think it’s worrying times for Arsenal.”

“Nwaneri looked like their only bright spark really and he’s only a 17-year-old.”

It’s fair to say that Arteta’s side struggled to create opportunities throughout the game, perhaps understandably when looking at their current injury list.

Photo: IMAGO

Their front line has took quite the hit with Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli all sidelined through injury. For this one, it was Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri operating as the front-three, creating just 1.38xG across the 90 minutes.

As Pennant mentioned, Nwaneri is certainly their biggest attacking threat at the moment and at such a young age, the sky really is the limit for the talented teenager.

“They’ll be Worried” – Looking Ahead

“They’ll be worried, especially with their upcoming games,” continued Pennant, “Over the next few weeks they face the likes of Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton.”

“All of those teams will be stronger at the back than Leicester, so improvement will be needed to get three points against those sides.”

Photo: IMAGO

“Obviously, Man United are on a bad run at the moment, but it’s still Manchester United! They’ll be up for it.”

There’s no doubt that improvement will be needed over the upcoming weeks if Arsenal are really wanting to overtake Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal can find some comfort in the expected return of both Saka and Martinelli, with the duo both expected to return in March. However, both Havertz and Jesus are ruled out for the remainder of the season.

The key will be keeping pace with Liverpool until the return of Saka and Martinelli and that is when Arsenal’s push will really hit full throttle…