Merson, while speaking on the Carling Cup final defeat, said: “It’s a sore one for Arsenal. It’s a confidence-sapping defeat.”
By Kehinde Okeowo
British pundit and former England midfielder Paul Merson has predicted that North London club Arsenal will only win the English Premier League (EPL) title this season.
He made the assertion recently while appearing as a guest on Sky Sports.
The Gunners were on track to win a quadruple this season, but that ambition ended last Sunday following a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the final of the Carabao Cup.
Mikel Arteta’s team are away to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals and face Sporting Lisbon at the same stage of the Champions League three days later.
In the league, Arsenal hold a nine-point advantage over City, who sit in second place with seven games remaining.
Speaking after Arsenal missed out on the Carabao Cup trophy, Merson noted that Man City “destroyed” Arsenal during the encounter.
He added that, while he expects the Gunners to secure the Premier League title, he does not believe they can win the FA Cup or the Champions League.
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Merson said: “Man City turned up in the second half of the Carabao Cup final and absolutely gave Arsenal a footballing lesson at the highest level.
“For 25 minutes of the second half, no one at Arsenal wanted the ball. They were booting the ball away, just kicking it back to City. And City destroyed them—absolutely destroyed them.
“It’s a sore one for Arsenal. It’s a confidence-sapping defeat because you come into the dressing room after that and think, ‘Oh my God, we just got destroyed in the second half.’
“Will it impact the Premier League? Arsenal are too good for the other teams they have to play against in the run-in, so they will beat those teams. But watching that game and 그 second half, I don’t see Arsenal winning anything else but the Premier League.
“Man City are still in the FA Cup. Watching that game, you’d be shocked if Arsenal went back to Wembley and beat them. And then in the Champions League, I look at Barcelona—whom Arsenal are on course to play in the semi-finals—and Arsenal haven’t got the pace to trouble Barcelona’s high line.”
