Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher is now convinced that Arsenal will secure fourth spot ahead of Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham.
Speaking after the Gunners lost to Liverpool last night, Carragher dismissed claims about the London club’s poor record against teams in the top three this season, stating that, out of all the teams in the top four race, they are the ones who look the most convincing:
“The fight for Arsenal is to finish in the top four. Forget Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City…the results have been poor against them. It doesn’t matter what your results are like against certain teams, it’s about how many points you get. They’re in a fight with Tottenham, West Ham, and Manchester United.”
“The difference is, when I watch Arsenal tonight – I think Arsenal are a better team than Manchester United and Tottenham, but they’ve got individuals that can do special things like Harry Kane and [Heung-min] Son or Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s probably what they lacked tonight, Odegaard gets that chance, Harry Kane or Ronaldo put that in. But I think the way the team is set up, the togetherness, the way they play – it looks like a proper team. They are a well-coached team and I think they’ll just do it.”
It’s certainly a ringing endorsement from Carragher and one that does carry a lot of weight. Arsenal may have been on the wrong end of the result yesterday but there are clear signs of progress under manager Mikel Arteta.
They face Aston Villa this weekend knowing that they can go four points ahead of Manchester United in the table. There are still some tough fixtures to come, including three games in a row against Chelsea, United and West Ham, but the Gunners will likely be in the hunt for a Champions League spot until the last day of the season.
