Merson: Arsenal could be in bottom three after two games by Iomie
Club legend Paul Merson has claimed we will be in the bottom three after the first two games of the Premier League season. We head into today’s game against Manchester City as the total underdogs, as many media outlets have given us no chance to beat Pep Guardiola’s side, who literally dominated the League last season and looked solid in the community shield last week.
And it doesn’t get any easier for us next week as we will also be facing a Chelsea side that are on a high after picking up a solid 3-0 victory over Huddersfield at the weekend.
Emery has invested wisely in the transfer window and has tried to get his business done nice and early, so the players could get used to playing with each other but also adapting to his style of play.
But despite all the excitement and optimism around the club, Merson has claimed we have a long way to go to be able to compete with the Premier League’s best clubs.
He told Sky Sports: ‘’He [Unai Emery] couldn’t have wished for a worse start, Man City at home, Chelsea away.
‘They could be in the bottom three after two games, which would be a shame for the manager.
‘Tomorrow you will see a team that will make it very difficult for Man City to break them down.
‘It won’t be like the old days where we have a shot, you have a shot.’
Now I am not expecting miracles under Emery and I honestly believe the style of play under the Spaniard will cause some real problems for City this weekend. So I am disappointed to see Merson try to bring the club back down after a sold transfer season.
The best time to play these two clubs is now, as City always start the season slow and Chelsea are also going through a rebuilding stage that will see many of the players fail to adapt to the style of play under Sarri, who has never won a trophy during his managerial career.
Too many people are doubting the qualities of this Arsenal side, but I am not and am firmly convinced we could walk away from the opening two games with two wins, not two losses. So could this be the best start for Unai Emery, or the worst start?