Rio Ferdinand has spotted a big mistake Mikel Arteta has made that could cost Arsenal the title

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal are still somehow in the Premier League title race with Liverpool.

The Gunners, alongside Manchester City, were viewed as the favourites to win the title this season, but Arne Slot’s side have emerged as surprise contenders.

Liverpool are seven points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, and at this point, it would be embarrassing if they don’t win it.

Rio Ferdinand, however, thinks the gap between the two clubs would be a lot closer now if Mikel Arteta had done one thing at Arsenal a few months ago.

Rio Ferdinand highlights Mikel Arteta’s error at Arsenal this season

Arteta has had so many problems at Arsenal this season.

The Spaniard has not had a fully fit squad available at his disposal at any point this campaign, and that will not change in the next few months either following Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz’s season-ending injuries.

The Arsenal manager has also been without Bukayo Saka since before Christmas, while several other key players have missed games this term as well.

Martin Odegaard was one of them, and Arsenal looked lost at times without him. The North Londoners dropped 10 points in seven league games when he was unavailable.

Ferdinand believes that number would’ve been smaller if Arteta had not made the mistake of keeping Nwaneri on the bench.

He said in a video on his YouTube channel: “Arsenal could be nearer to winning the league and closer to Liverpool this season if your manager had played Ethan Nwaneri when Odegaard was injured.

“What he’s doing is he’s cooking defenders. He’s cooking teams!”

When Joel Beya claimed that Arteta may have done Nwaneri a favour by easing him into the first team, Ferdinand said: “Not for your league aspirations this year!

“I think if he came in, you would have got more points. It’s easy to say in hindsight but I was saying it at the time.

“Get him in and just see, what’s the worst that can happen? Because you were running up dead alleys at the time and not getting results. Put him in! Odegaard was gone.”

Odegaard could be in trouble because of Nwaneri

Odegaard is one of the best playmakers in the world.

The Norwegian has been phenomenal for the Gunners since he joined them permanently from Real Madrid, and he is always one of the first names on the team sheet.

However, if Nwaneri continues to perform as well as he has done recently, the teenager will become undroppable.

Once Saka returns, Arteta may have to move Nwaneri to his natural number 10 role, replacing Odegaard, who will admit himself that he hasn’t had his best season.

If Odegaard loses his place to Nwaneri, it would be a bit embarrassing – it’s not often that a club captain is replaced by a 17-year-old.