Emmanuel Petit dismisses Jamie Carragher’s Arsenal criticism – he says Mikel Arteta has a different problem

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Arsenal’s attack has been the subject of criticism this season however, it’s not Mikel Arteta’s only problem.

The Gunners are not sitting where they want to be, being six points adrift of the Premier League summit.

Arteta understands the differences between Arsenal and Liverpool, as the Spaniard identified the issue of his squad’s lack of depth.

Still, the season is far from over with a lot of points to play for but, if the title race is to go to the wire, the Arsenal manager must fix one pressing issue. 

• READ MORE: Ian Wright sends ‘help’ plea to Stan Kroenke after discussing Mikel Arteta’s future at Arsenal

Emmanuel Petit disagrees with Jamie Carragher’s assessment of Arsenal 

After the Gunners’ 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, questions were asked about Arteta’s side’s claim to the title race.

From switching off defensively to not being potent enough going forward, Arsenal have been criticised in most areas this term, with the front line under the microscope most prominently.

Ian Wright urged Arsenal to sign a forward amid a season of struggles in front of goal however, for all of the noise regarding the Gunners’ attack, one club legend has a different idea. 

Speaking on Sky Sports Monday Night Football, Emmanuel Petit clashed with pundit Jamie Carragher over the duo’s assessment of Arsenal’s greatest weakness. 

Carragher spent some time dissecting how one-dimensional Arsenal are when building play from the wide areas, something Petit didn’t agree with.

“I’m going to ask a question to Jamie. I agree, Arsenal can improve in so many areas. Do you think they have the profile of the player, except Odegaard [to play #10]? That’s why they stick with the plan [playing wide].”

Carragher called on Arsenal to create through the central channel more but Petit disagreed, raising a different issue for Arteta to address. 

“We had this discussion with Jamie and he said that with the strikers that Arsenal have they cannot win the Premier League and I disagree. 

“They are not far from Liverpool from scoring goals. They are almost the same in terms of defence, the difference is not that huge. It’s the points they drop when they are in control of games. Consistency in performances is the most important thing if you want to win the Premier League.”

• READ MORE: Who is Emmanuel Petit? All you need to know about the life of the ex-Arsenal and Chelsea ace

Arsenal have not been consistent this season

Carragher was right in raising the issues in Arsenal’s attack but, Petit was also correct, as the Gunners have been far from consistent this term.

Arsenal have dropped 12 points from winning positions in the Premier League this campaign, their worst tally in five years after only 22 games played. 

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	21	15	5	1	50	20	30	50
2	ArsenalArsenal	22	12	8	2	43	21	22	44

Arteta has watched his side win a mediocre 54% of their league fixtures this season, which is far from good enough for a squad hopeful of winning the title.

Petit’s concerns over Arsenal’s consistency are valid, as the Gunners’ longest winning streak so far in the 2024/25 Premier League is three games.

Arsenal found consistency in a mid-season trip to Dubai last year, with a similar source of inspiration needed if the North Londoners are to beat Liverpool to the title.