Sam Allardyce has sensationally claimed that Arsenal are in the relegation dog-fight alongside his West Bromwich Albion side.
The Gunners sit 15th in the Premier League table having lost eight of their 14 games so far this season.
Speaking yesterday, the former England manager has claimed that the defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday evening will have damaged the side’s confidence.
Allardyce said: “If they are in the bottom eight at the moment, yes, absolutely. Getting beaten [by Manchester City], even though it is not in the Premier League, as it would do with ours, drains the confidence of Arsenal’s players.” (via Goal)
Can Arsenal beat Chelsea this weekend?
Yes
No
Whilst it’s a hard pill to swallow, Arsenal are indeed in a relegation fight. The start to the league campaign probably hasn’t gone the way Mikel Arteta has envisioned with the club sitting a mere four points above the drop zone.
Confidence has taken a huge hit before the Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City with losses to Burnley, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers at home far more embarrassing results.
It will take something special to get the Gunners out of this rut, and with Arteta having never managed at senior level for a long period of time, this will all be new to him.
What’s more important is that the Reds don’t let the performance against the Citizens affect them in their crucial run of league outings. Chelsea are the visitors on Saturday before a quartet of games which should prove winnable, including Brighton, the Baggies, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace.
If the north London outfit are to fail to win at least three of those four fixtures, then there should be huge alarm bells ringing over whether or not Arteta is the right man for the manager’s job.
In other news, Simon Jordan has hit out at one ace as he labelled him a ‘cheat’.
