Jamie Carragher has stated that Mikel Arteta’s time at Arsenal is at risk of being remembered similarly to Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Tottenham if he doesn’t win a major trophy soon.
Despite a strong start to the season, Arsenal’s chances of finishing with a trophy have suffered after a challenging week, both domestically and in Europe.
The Gunners lost their top position in the Premier League last weekend after a setback at home against Aston Villa, and were knocked out of the Champions League following a quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich.
Arsenal won the FA Cup in 2020, but now there’s a risk of ending another season – Arteta’s fourth full campaign in charge – without a trophy.
After struggling in the final stages of the Premier League last season, Carragher believes comparisons may soon be drawn with their north London rivals Spurs, who experienced years of near misses under Pochettino.
During Pochettino’s tenure, Tottenham finished third and second in consecutive league seasons between 2015-17, earning more points than any other team but failing to secure any silverware.
‘Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal could end up like Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs; a team admired for nearly achieving greatness,’ Carragher stated in his column for The Telegraph.
‘To say Arteta, like Pochettino during his time at Spurs, deserves more respect and credit for making Arsenal contenders than criticism in case of falling short is not entirely positive.
‘Being recognized for doing such a good job will not be comforting if history judges Arteta’s reign without a Premier League or Champions League title.’
Carragher also highlighted the area Arsenal needs to focus on in the upcoming transfer window if they want to further develop their team.
‘Arsenal now need an attacker of Rice’s quality. They are the top scorers in the top division, but have not scored in five league games, and were unsuccessful in breaking through in the Allianz Arena this week,’ he explained.
Arsenal will face Wolves in their next league match, but have challenging matches ahead against Chelsea, Tottenham, and Manchester United as they try to surpass Man City’s two-point lead at the top of the table. Arsenal is facing the prospect of another season without a trophy.
