Jamie Carragher Questions Arsenal's Title Credentials Without a 'Superstar'
Jamie Carragher has delivered a stark assessment of Arsenal's Premier League title aspirations, labelling their current challenge as 'not normal' due to the absence of a genuine 'superstar' in their squad. The Gunners' hopes suffered a setback over the weekend with a 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United, yet they maintain a four-point lead at the summit of the table.
Analysing the Gunners' Attacking Options
Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, the former Liverpool defender pointed out a peculiar statistic. Despite Arsenal leading the Premier League standings, Carragher argued that none of their attacking players would currently merit a place in the team of the season. "When have you ever seen a team at the top of the table, who have been top by six or seven points, but if you were picking the best team of the Premier League so far, you wouldn't have one of their players in the front four?" Carragher questioned. "That is not normal, that would never happen."
He elaborated that historically, the league's best team always features at least one or two forwards in the seasonal best XI. "Arsenal don't have that right now, and that plays into the fact that they don't have a genuine superstar at the top end of the pitch," Carragher concluded.
Goal-Scoring Statistics and Squad Depth
The numbers underscore Carragher's analysis. Arsenal's leading scorers in the league this term are Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard, with just five goals each. Behind them, a cluster of players including Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, and Mikel Merino have contributed four league goals apiece. This distribution highlights a reliance on shared responsibility rather than a single, prolific talisman.
This comes after a weekend where Manchester City, their closest rivals, secured a 2-0 victory against Wolves to keep the pressure on. With 15 league matches remaining, including an upcoming away fixture at Leeds United, the title race remains intensely competitive.
Scholes Echoes the Sentiment on Arsenal's Quality
Carragher's viewpoint found support from former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes. On The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Scholes offered a blunt take. "If Arsenal win the league, this could be the worst team to win the league," he stated. "If you're thinking of picking a team of the season and picking the front four, nobody from the Arsenal team gets in that. Look at previous champions - Liverpool's forwards, brilliant."
Scholes conceded that Bukayo Saka might be the sole candidate, but tempered that praise. "Possibly the only one is Saka, and I don't think he's been brilliant. He's not scored many goals this year or assists," he added.
Arteta's Response to the United Defeat
Following the disappointing result against Manchester United, manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged the impact of individual moments of quality from the opposition. "In the second half they had two brilliant goals, some individual quality and magic moments," Arteta said. "I think we managed to shift the energy, score the second goal, and you could feel that everything changed. The game was ready to go and win it."
As the season enters its decisive phase, the debate ignited by Carragher and Scholes raises fundamental questions. Can a team without a recognised 'superstar' forward sustain a title challenge against the might of Manchester City? Arsenal's collective spirit and tactical discipline under Arteta are being tested as they aim to prove that a team's strength can indeed outweigh the sum of its individual parts.
