Thierry Henry tells Arsenal they are not difficult for the title and identifies what the Gunners are ‘not adequate’ at, with considerations forward of journey to Chelsea
Thierry Henry has picked out just what is hampering Arsenal this season after another poor result on Wednesday night in the Champions League.
The Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat by 2023 finalists Inter Milan at the San Siro, with Turkiye star Hakan Calhanoglu scoring the only goal of the game from the spot in first half added time.
There was some controversy over the handball decision that led to the spot-kick, but the goal ends Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the Champions League league phase.
It also saw a worrying continuation of Arsenal’s terrible run of three defeats and a draw in their last six games, the two wins being a 3-0 victory over Championship side Preston in the Carabao Cup and a tight 1-0 over Shakhtar Donetsk.
However, club legend Henry has singled out where he thinks Arsenal are going slightly wrong this term, with title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City now seven and five points clear of the Gunners in the league, respectively.
Thierry Henry has admitted that Arsenal are currently not challenging for the title after a poor run of results
The Gunners suffered a 1-0 defeat by Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night
Mikel Arteta’s side have now only won twice in their last six matches across all competitions
‘Right now they’re not challenging for the league, as you can see. The results are not good enough to be at the top,’ the former France international told CBS Sports Golazo.
‘My issue, and we’ve talked about it since matchday two, away from home I don’t think it was good enough. We were getting away with it for a very long time, now we’re not anymore, so let’s see what happens against Chelsea.
‘I don’t think they’ll be out the race. I think it will be extremely different because you have too many teams to catch. I don’t see two teams collapsing, that’s my issue.’
He added, when asked what might happen when the Gunners travel to Chelsea at the weekend: ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do, I’ll be honest with you. Today they were 1-0 down and Inter gave them the ball, so I don’t know.’
Mikel Arteta’s side had asserted themselves as the main challengers to Man City in recent years, narrowly finishing second in each of the last two campaigns.
Their form had improved massively against their big six rivals, too; last season Arsenal were the only side not to lose to any of Liverpool, Man City, Man United, Chelsea and Tottenham, recording at least one win against each.
Yet in recent weeks they have struggled to replicate the dynamism and fluidity that saw them soar so close to the pinnacle of English football.
There have been key injuries and absences to contend with, with Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino all picking up injuries, and Declan Rice missing out on the traveling squad for the Inter clash.
Title rivals Liverpool are leading the way in the Premier League and now sit seven points clear of Arsenal
Manchester City meanwhile are five points ahead of Arteta’s side as the top two threaten to pull away
The Gunners have at least been boosted by the return of their captain Martin Odegaard
Additionally they have also had their disciplinary issues, with each of William Saliba, Leandro Trossard and Rice picking up red cards domestically.
Yet the Gunners will know that the recent return of Odegaard – who played for the first time since September on Wednesday night – could prove the start of an upturn in form.
In the Norwegian’s absence the north London outfit have lacked a cutting edge in midfield, with their captain and creator-in-chief out on the sidelines.
Following the London derby with Chelsea next weekend – with the Blues themselves seemingly resurgent this season – there is also a clash with Nottingham Forest who are this season’s surprise package so far, up in third in the Premier League table.
