Arsenal took the lead against Manchester City but lost to Bournemouth at the Emirates, but Paul Merson insists they need to keep their heads down over the next few days
Paul Merson admits outside noise will increase after Arsenal defeat (Image: Sky Sports)
Manager Paul Merson has told Arsenal’s players to avoid any reaction to Bournemouth’s defeat as fears grow that their Premier League title race could collapse following the heavy defeat.
The Gunners’ poor form continued on Saturday, when they were shocked at home by the Cherries, who extended their unbeaten run to 12 games. Alex Scott scored the winning goal in the second half, putting Manchester City in control of their own destiny.
Arsenal have been top of the table for most of the season, but have lost three of their last four games. As a result, they missed out on the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, with their league ambitions also in doubt.
Mikel Arteta’s side lost top spot in 2023 and 2024, but were edged out by City on both occasions. This could see the Manchester side win the match and take control again if they see off against Arsenal next week, leading to talk of further collapse.
read more: Mikel Arteta sends message to injured Arsenal stars after heartbreaking Bournemouth defeatread more: How Man City can be top of the table in 11 days after Arsenal’s debacle
Speaking on Sky Sports, Merson said of his confidence: “It would have been shattered. Now all of a sudden if Man City had won all their games they would be level on points. And we still have two games to go to increase the goal difference. We should stay away from the press, the newspapers and social media right now because everyone will be saying, ‘This is where the collapse has come.’
“It was a terrible, terrible result today, a bad performance, no energy, let’s take the game to Bournemouth, it was sloppy.”
City face Chelsea on Sunday and next week face Arsenal at the Etihad, a venue Arteta has never won as Gunners manager. In a few days, they will face Championship side Burnley, who could take the lead on goal difference if they win all three games. However, Merson stopped City from winning by backing the Blues against them at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal’s poor run continued with defeat to Bournemouth, their third come-from-behind defeat in four games.
Josep Guardiola’s side defeated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, with a dominant second half performance resulting in a sensational victory. They defeated Liverpool 4-0 in their next match to secure a place in the last four of the FA Cup, while Arsenal themselves were shocked by Southampton.
Arsenal continue to be criticized for failing to win a silver medal despite making so much progress under Arteta. Success in the 2020 FA Cup remains their latest trophy and they continue to miss out despite good results in the competition.
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