The former England manager and Premier League legend believes Arsenal can deal with their injury problems and capitalize on Liverpool’s struggles to win their first title in a while.
It was no surprise that Sam Allardyce was particularly bullish after taking over as Leeds United manager in May 2023. If there’s one thing Allardyce has always had as a manager, it’s unwavering self-confidence.
“I may be old at 68,” he said on his arrival at Elland Road, “but there’s no one ahead of me in terms of football, no Pep, no Klopp, no Arteta.” And at 71, Big Sam probably still believes that, although he won’t say it out loud. However, he is happy to admit that Mikel Arteta is of managerial age at Arsenal.
And by Allardyce’s admission, the Spaniard’s progress appears to be based on the theory that attack wins games and defense wins titles. Big Sam simply loves Arsenal’s solid defense.
read more: Gabriel Jesus breaks his silence on Arsenal’s future, saying Gunners have ‘four players for sale’read more: Arsenal injury news: Latest information on return dates for seven star players after Gabriel and Kai Havertz injuries
“Mikel has plenty of experience now,” Allardyce said. “The club and the team have moved on and the board has supported him all along. It shows how long it takes. It’s been five or six years now. But I think this is Arsenal’s year and Mikel’s year.”
At a special event in Bolton, supporting Sky Bet/British Heart Foundation’s ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign, Allardyce explained how Arsenal are poised to win the Premier League trophy for the first time since the 2003-04 season, saying: “Manchester City are still in a period of transition and Liverpool are facing huge integration challenges.”
“Integrating new players into a new culture and a new environment is one of the most difficult things to do, no matter how much money you spend. You can never be completely sure how well they will accept the environment they are going into, and that obviously poses special problems for them at the moment.”
And as a result of this integration problem, the champions have conceded 17 goals in their opening 11 Premier League games, while Arsenal have conceded just five. And two of those were acquired in the recent draw with Sunderland.
“You can go for goals, but unless you have a great defensive record it doesn’t matter,” Allardyce said. “Having the best defense in the league means we can get the ball back faster and just be more creative.”
And he was clearly unconcerned about losing Gabriel for a few weeks, adding: “The depth in Arteta’s team is better than ever. They and he have plenty of experience now.”
“This is a big year for Arsenal. They should have won it three years ago. No disrespect to Mikel, but they failed. If they can withstand the pressure, it would be great for the Premier League if someone wins.”
“And, again, I think this is Arsenal’s year. It’s based on two simple factors: they have a lot of options for attacking and scoring goals, and they always have the best defense in the league.”
Mr Allardyce was inspired to work with the Every Minute Matters campaign after the shocking experience of Fabrice Muamba, who suffered cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match at White Hart Lane in 2012 and his heart stopped beating for a total of 78 minutes. Mr Allardyce explains:
“Thanks to the immediate CPR and defibrillation, Fabrice made a full recovery. However, most grassroots soccer teams do not have a medical team on site, so it is important that anyone playing amateur soccer, at any level, knows CPR and how to use a defibrillator.”
“Many people still think that only medical professionals can intervene, but that is simply not true. Anyone can learn these life-saving skills and should have the confidence to act if someone falls.”
“And that confidence comes from training, which is why I encourage everyone involved in grassroots football to take 15 minutes to learn CPR and defibrillation using the BHF’s excellent free online tool, RevivR.”
Allardyce was leading a Sky Bet/British Heart Foundation event to raise awareness of CPR at Bolton Wanderers’ stadium. This is a unique partnership between Sky Bet and the BHF and is part of the pioneering ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign supported by the EFL, which has already successfully inspired over 350,000 people to start learning CPR since the campaign was launched in May 2024.
