Ex EPL Stars Predict Arsenal’s 21/22 Progress After Poor Start to the Season

Ex EPL Stars Predict Arsenal’s 21/22 Progress After Poor Start to the Season

  • Arsenal gotten off their 2021/22 English Premier League season on the worst possible note having lost two of their opening fixtures
  • The Gunners have also failed to score on both occasions, a trend former English Premier League stars have warned could see them finish in the bottom half
  • According to Jamie O'Hara, the north Londoners lack a clear direction and plan to overturn their fortunes in the league
  • The Mikel Arteta-tutored side are scheduled to face another daunting task in Man City during their next Premier League fixture

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!

Former Tottenham Hotspur players Darren Bent and Jamie O'Hara have predicted Arsenal could finish in the bottom half of the table this season.

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, EPL, Stars
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta and his men are having a bad start. Image: @Getty Images.
Source: UGC

The Gunners kicked off the 2021/22 campaign on the wrong footing, having already lost two of their opening fixtures.

Read also

Arsenal hero predicts where Man United will finish in the league this season

The Mikel Arteta-tutored side was humbled 2-0 by newly-promoted Brentford in their season opener before falling to rivals Chelsea by a similar scoreline at the weekend.

While the north Londoners have been the Premier League's heaviest spenders this summer, both Bent and O'Hara do not see them competing favourably this term. According to O'Hara, Arsenal actually risks finishing outside the Top 10 as he believes they lack leadership in the squad.

Enjoy reading our stories? Download the BRIEFLY NEWS app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

“They are going to be in page two this season. I can see them finishing 13th or 14th. If they stick with Arteta they are going to finish in the bottom half of the table. They’re miles off it," he said on talkSPORT.
“They’ve got no direction and no plan. All these young lads they’ve brought in have potential, but you need leaders in the dressing room to get the best out of them. There isn’t any leaders in the team," he added.

Read also

Paul Scholes reveals what could cost Man United the Premier League title

O'Hara's sentiments were reiterated by Bent, who said while he does not want to see the Gunners humiliated, they do risk having one of their worst campaigns if heads do not roll.

“Genuinely this season, I don’t want to see it happen, but if it continues like this they might not finish in the top 10," Bent observed.

Arsenal are scheduled to face Man City in their next Premier League fixture, in a tie they will be desperate to register a favourable result. However, before then, they will have to contend with an EFL Cup fixture against second-tier side West Brom set for Wednesday, August 25.

“Amazing”: Ex Springboks’ Dr Tanushree Pillay joins PSG and follows Lionel Messi

In other sports news, Briefly News reported that the South African sports industry is celebrating the appointment of former Springboks physiotherapist Dr Tanushree Pillay, who recently joined French club Paris St Germain.

Read also

Former Liverpool striker's career takes strange turn as he joins Australian club

Tanushree took to her Instagram page to break the news and says she is delighted to venture into a new career path.

The former Springboks doctor signed and sealed her contract with the Parisians early this week.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Kelly Lippke avatar

Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.

Phumzile Ngcatshe avatar

Phumzile Ngcatshe (Editor) Phumzile Ngcatshe is a staunch football fan and a lover of political and human interest stories. He launched his journalism career working for various community publications but eventually joined Goal.com where he worked until October 2020. In March 2021 Pumzile also started writing human interest, mainstream and sports news for Briefly News. Phumzile's love for writing saw him earn a national qualification in Journalism and Media Studies and a qualification in video and television production.