Former England captain Alan Shearer is not too sure about Arsenal’s Premier League survival at the end of the season as they have got off to their worst start in the league since the 1974-75 season.
Arsenal have already lost eight out of their 14 Premier League games in this season, four of which have come in the last five games, and thus sit at the 14th spot in the table with 14 points to their name.
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Not with that starting team and the attitude of some of those players,” Shearer said when he was asked about their chances of survival.
“Awful, no creativity, players going through the motions, not working hard enough and not closing down. Mikel Arteta should be a worried man relying on that group of players trying to save his job. Twelve goals all season, they have no options,” he added.
Arsenal were left just four points clear off the relegation zone after they lost 2-1 to Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
“Against Everton, Pepe was not prepared to get into the box, he was jogging, sometimes walking. He has got to do more. There are a few players in that team who are not giving everything for the manager. Arsenal are never going to score goals playing like that,” Shearer continued.
Mikel Arteta has a very difficult job at his hands considering the kind of players he has at his disposal. They did make good signings in the summer transfer window having signed the likes of Willian, Thomas Partey, and Gabriel Magalhaes but the other players, according to most pundits and fans, are just not good enough for the standard of the club. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are two of their best players but Arteta hasn’t been using them well either.
They have scored only 12 goals in the 14 games so far and the defence has leaked 18 goals too. So, they have problems at both ends of the pitch and thus Arteta needs to find a solution as soon as possible to save their season, and more importantly, his job as well.