Graeme Souness now doubts Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League after watching their match against Manchester City.
The Gunners have been in fine form this season, but they faced a tough challenge against City early on in the game.
Arsenal was reduced to ten men before halftime, leading to one of their most defensive performances under Mikel Arteta.
City, one of the top clubs in the world, threw everything at Arsenal as they pushed to score while the Gunners held a 2-1 lead with a man down.
It took a remarkable defensive effort for Arsenal to secure a draw in the match, though they could have won if the game had ended just seconds earlier.
After watching the fixture, Souness now believes that Arsenal may have an inferiority complex when facing Manchester City.
Souness said in the Three Up Front podcast
“I tipped Arsenal to win the league at the start of the season, but I’m doubting myself now. I do think they’re getting better, but they’ve shown an inferiority complex when it comes to City. They were happy to sit back and take whatever came their way at the Etihad, without getting up the pitch and trying to cause a problem. I don’t think that was a great sign.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
It is baffling that we are being criticised for our performance against one of the top clubs in the world, especially because in our situation, most teams would have done the same thing.
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Dinosaur
You can take your goodwill elsewhere; we can do without it
Some times I feel those pundits,either they are bias or impressionistic.It’s known for any idiot that arsenal is one of the most attacking teams,play beautiful fluid football,so what happens,because we played vs the defending champion with less player all of a sudden Arsenal became a team playing with inferiority.
It’s crazy how these folks think, when it comes to Arsenal, but I don’t care, The team will react to whatever is thrown at it……period!!!
Did this man watch the first half?
Teams don’t win titles because someone decides whether they can win or not. I personally won’t publish such obviously biased and unreasonable opinion here.
You play 10 against City and you go attacking?????
Exactly why Sounes failed as a manager
He makes a lot of sense. Even the fans/supporters here exhibit an inferiority complex where Ciry are concerned. Just saying…
A glib answer to that would be that, generally speaking, Arsenal (along with all the other EPL sides) have got a lot to be inferior about regarding City considering the rate that they’ve been hoovering up domestic trophies over the past seasons. City have dominated domestic competition like no other team has over a similar period.
That said, I don’t think on the evidence of last season and this (so far) that Arsenal has displayed an “inferiority complex” playing against City. Arsenal has two away draws and a home win over City. That’s pretty good considering. Look at it another way, if that was reversed and Arsenal only picked up two points from the three games, what would people be saying then?
The opinion of a failed football coach!!!!!!!!!! When it was 11 against 11 city was subdued until when the man of the match in the name of Oliver did his what he does best for man city. So at that point arsenal had the lead to protect & faught tooth & nail until the 98th minute though city finally levelled. It was the best option to defend.
Souness usually talks good sense, but I think on this subject he’s missing the point that Arsenal were showing City the respect they’ve earned as one of the best pure footballing teams in the world.
Four reasons why Arsenal played the way they did in the second half. Arsenal have had a much tougher itinerary than City since the start of the season- 3 tough away games in a week . Losing key players through injury before this game and several of those playing were carrying injuries- Timber, Calafiori, White all defenders- and the keeper Raya and having one day less than City to recover from a tough midweek away game. City were fresher having played at home in midweek with a bigger squad of fit players. Losing a player to a sending off seconds before half time. for a minor infringement. was massive. Playing away in front of a very hostile crowd.The referee is anti Arsenal for starters and pro City- his pro City record speaks for itself. he’s never sent a City player off and booked fewer than the top 8 teams. He refereed to the letter of the law for Arsenal but was lenient towards City. This ref has sent off more Arsenal players than any other current referee-7. Arsenal are not a dirty team and had only one way to win that was a set piece and defend as a team and almost did it. The way Arsenal played in the second half was out of necessity and playing to their strengths they had no attacking players to hurt City left.
I do think that he is right in some sense. But we just seem to play more defensive away from home against the likes of City, Liverpool, United, Spurs, Chelsea etc..
It seems to me like Arteta does not want to lose any away games against the so called Top 6 teams, he is more focused on the saying “Try not lose your away games against your rival and try to win your home games” kind of mentality. The football might not be pleasing / easy on the eye but he is much more focused on picking up as many points and not losing. A bit like the good old Mourinho.
But unlike Mourinho, Arteta seems to be finding it a bit difficult to cross that finish line (Title / Champions league).
Goonster,
I get your point but for Graeme Souness to back track on his original opinion after last Sunday’s game seems ludicrous to me. If 11 men were on the pitch and the injury list wasn’t so long, then I get it.
@SueP.
I wanted to be as charitable tas possible Souness. But he is such a insufferable guy. Lol
I remember during the Wenger Emirates days he used to absolutely disrespect Wenger and the players we had back then. I remember always listening to him during the UCL game in ITV back in the day. He would label our players are embarrassing softies. I remember on analysising our games and always looked p!ssed off that we were a weak team with a soft underbelly. He would reference the likes of Fergie and Mourinho as real tough managers that will find a way to win games.
Now that we are getting streetwise and tough, he is all of a sudden not happy about it. He is a contradiction. Lol
Whatever Arsenal’s “attitude” to City is, they only play them twice over the EPL season so now there’s one game left at The Emirates to come.
As I said before on JA after the City game, the destination of title will be determined over the remaining 33 games, not on a wet September Sunday in Manchester. It’s Arsenal’s attitude towards Leicester that will be the test and so on after that.
That’s why you don’t have a job anymore as a football coach.
You think playing expansive football with 10 man against the best team in the world is a good idea.
I would say losing Rodri is a big blow to City and lowers their chances whichever way you look at it. He’s their most important player.
While there is some sense to what he said I felt Arsenal while sitting at the back. I felt they were complacent and confident with a one-goal lead. Come on we have seen good teams while attacking getting caught out while the opposition is to catch them lacking. Arsenal were content playing like 2015 Newcastle where it had to get a point but also to score. If arsenal were ready for a third goal they would have won. They were foolish to think that they could hold on for 45 minutes. They should have wanted to extend that lead Inter did it in a few days before arsenal.