Jamie Carragher makes Mikel Arteta sack claim after Man City defeat | Football

Jamie Carragher says he expects Mikel Arteta to avoid the sack even when Arsenal finish as runners-up within the Premier League for a fourth successive season this term.

Arsenal had the prospect to open up an imperious 12-point advantage over Manchester City earlier this month, but a shock defeat at home to Bournemouth stopped the Gunners of their tracks.

The gap reduced to only three points on Sunday afternoon as City edged to a 2-1 win over the league leaders, with Erling Haaland scoring the decisive goal in front of a rapturous Etihad crowd.

City – who’ve a game in hand over Arsenal – return to motion against lowly Burnley in two days’ time and victory at Turf Moor would send Pep Guardiola’s men top for the primary time since as far back at October.

Arsenal play host to an out-of-sorts Newcastle of their next contest and a morale-boosting showing at Emirates may prove to be key if Mikel Arteta’s side are to maintain their hopes of a primary title in 22 years alive.

Speaking after Arsenal’s setback in Manchester, a defiant Arteta insisted his ‘belief’ had not waned given the standard he sees from his players every day.

‘I imagine today, I imagine on Wednesday, I believed per week ago because I see them day-after-day and I do know the extent that we’ve,’ the Spaniard told reporters.

‘But today, in the event that they must be more convinced, I feel they at the moment are more convinced. We’re talking about it within the dressing room.

‘It’s a brand new league now. We’ve three points of advantage, they’ve the sport in hand.

‘All the pieces continues to be to play for. We understand how much we would like it and we should not going to stop!’

Giving his views on the state of the title race a day on from Arsenal’s defeat, former Liverpool defender Carragher insisted the season was removed from done and dusted.

Nevertheless, the Sky Sports pundit believes City have wrestled themselves into the driving seat after what he felt was a ‘sensible game’ on the Etihad.

‘I feel City have gotten the sting,’ Carragher said.

‘I just think momentum, experience, how that may affect Arsenal psychologically… not only that game, the run of games that they’re on, the performances as well.

‘This was definitely a greater performance, there’s little doubt about that.

‘I believed it was an excellent game, it was a testament to each teams, each managers, it felt like an actual top-level game.’

On the 2 teams’ respective run-ins, Carragher continued: ‘City have gotten the harder fixtures, there’s little doubt.

‘But if you get to this stage and also you’re in Arsenal’s position, just trying to find a win from anywhere and the nerves are kicking in, the supporters are getting anxious, their next two games are at home within the Premier League, it almost doesn’t matter who you play.

‘It’s more about you actually. We’ve seen them lose to Bournemouth and most of the people would have said that was a game they need to win.

‘Newcastle is the subsequent game and Newcastle are struggling without delay, but you’ll be able to’t hang your hat on Arsenal in the meanwhile because this run has gone on now for 4 or five games in numerous competitions and so they just have to stop it quickly.’

Arsenal have managed only one win from their last six matches in all competitions, a wretched run that Carragher believes may have badly knocked confidence levels inside Arteta’s squad.

‘I just think City shall be so confident now, City, they’ll expect to win,’ the ex-England international went on.

‘I don’t think Arsenal shall be expecting to win all their games, but there’s little doubt they’ve got the better fixtures.

‘I feel those games against Atletico Madrid will take quite a bit out of them physically and mentally.

‘That’s a giant thing with Arsenal if you watch them without delay, it’s not only the power, it’s physically how do they feel? It’s not going to be easy.’

Based on Carragher, Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash demonstrated the sizeable difference in quality between the respective attacks of Arsenal and City.

‘If Arsenal do miss out I might put it all the way down to that,’ he explained.

‘Whenever you consider the Rayan Cherki goal yesterday, I don’t think Arsenal can rating that goal. I don’t think they’ll.

‘I feel Erling Haaland scores that. Havertz has two big probabilities… not every striker scores all their probabilities but when you give Haaland two probabilities like that then he’s scoring one in all them.

‘That’s the difference, there’s definitely quite a bit more quality within the attack for Manchester City than there’s for Arsenal without delay.

‘But Arsenal are still in there! If one in all the teams won all their games, they might have an unbelievable likelihood of winning it because I do think the opposite team would drop something.

‘Arsenal have gotten to think like that: win all our games and we’ll be champions. They’ve got an incredible likelihood of doing that in the event that they accomplish that.’

But while Arsenal face the prospect of one other trophyless season, Carragher is confident Arteta’s position is protected.

Asked if it was ‘now or never’ for the Arsenal head coach, Carragher replied: ‘Yes and no. I don’t think it’s a case that in the event that they didn’t win the league then Mikel Arteta can be out of a job, nothing like that.

‘But this does feel different than previous seasons because I don’t think I’ve ever felt they were the very best team within the league.

‘I feel for nearly all of this season most individuals on this country have felt Arsenal have the very best squad and the very best team, and now it’s just turning very late within the season unfortunately for them.

‘I feel prior to now we’ve at all times felt it was Liverpool last season or it was City a few seasons before that, they did have the sting on Arsenal and so they should win it. The very best team won it.

‘It hasn’t felt like that for numerous this season and there’s been times where Arsenal have been nine points clear, they’d a likelihood to go 12 points clear, situations like that.’

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