Arsenal MUST learn from Spurs’ mistakes and get stronger in January to retain their Premier League title chance, says Jamie Carragher… while Mikel Arteta insists the club will be ‘active’ in replacing injured striker Gabriel Jesus
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Jamie Carragher says Arsenal must learn from the mistakes of their North London rivals Tottenham if they want to win the Premier League this season.
The Gunners enjoy a five-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City at the top of the table ahead of the competition’s resumption on Boxing Day when they take on West Ham in the late kick-off.
While it is clear that Mikel Arteta’s side have a good chance of winning their first league title since Arsene Wenger’s 2004 ‘Invincibles’, the knee injury suffered by top striker Gabriel Jesus while playing for Brazil at the World Cup threatens to jeopardize their bid. derail.
Arsenal need to get stronger in January to stay at the top of the Premier League, says Jamie Carragher
The Gunners have a five-point lead at the top after an excellent start to the season
But the injury suffered by Gabriel Jesus during the World Cup threatens to derail their title chance
Carragher believes Arsenal need to get stronger during the January spell to make up for the Brazilian’s absence or their biggest title chance in years will pass.
He drew parallels to Tottenham Hotspur under Harry Redknapp in the 2011-12 season and Mauricio Pochettino in 2015-16 as a cautionary tale about how title dreams can fade without January investment.
“Arsenal should learn from the mistakes their north London rivals made when they found themselves in a similar position,” Carragher wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
Both Tottenham teams had great chances to win the league at this point in the season.
Carragher drew parallels with Tottenham squandering their previous title chance under Mauricio Pochettino in 2015-16 as chairman Daniel Levy failed to spend January
Carragher thinks Arsenal may regret not signing any new players in January
In January 2012 and 2016, Spurs were real contenders, one sign away from continuing their momentum.
Redknapp’s side fell away to finish fourth well behind Manchester City, but Pochettino would have guided Leicester City to the Premier League with more support in the boardroom.
Daniel Levy preferred the long term to the here and now and Spurs consoled themselves with the idea that even if they lost to Claudio Ranieri, other title chances would follow.
The reality is – as a club – they have lost their best chance in decades of being champions.
Jesus has had knee surgery and is now sidelined for an extended period of time
“While their long-term planning has taken them this far, Arsenal won’t want to look back in six months with the same ‘if only’ feeling.”
Arsenal will extend their lead to eight points if they beat West Ham on Boxing Day, with City not returning to action until they travel to Leeds on December 28.
Arteta said on Thursday the Gunners would be ‘active’ in the January market following the loss of Jesus, who has so far scored five goals and provided six assists in the Premier League.
“It will certainly take a while,” Arteta said of the striker.
Jesus has scored five Premier League goals and six more since arriving at Arsenal
“He’s had surgery and that tells you the extent of the injury, so we’ll be in the market, always active and we’ll assess the biggest opportunities we have.
‘We are going to be active and active means that we are looking to strengthen the team.
“This team still doesn’t have the luxury of not maximizing every window. We have to do that because it’s really important, but then we have to get the right profile.
“It has to be the right player to take us to the next level.”
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