Arsenal do not look like a team that wants to win, proclaims Patrice Evra
Getty
Premier League winner Patrice Evra has admitted that Arsenal does not look like a team that wants to win anything in the near future. The Gunners may sit fifth on the Premier League table but have had a rather unimpressive start to their campaign with 4 wins, 3 draws and two losses to their name.
Arsenal’s stuttering start to the Premier League has seen them heavily criticized but despite that, the Gunners missed out on a chance to go third in the table. They currently sit in fifth place and sit only four points off second-place Manchester City but a shock 1-0 loss to Sheffield United has created a few problems for the North London giants. However, with two wins out of two games in the Europa League, the Gunners sit atop their table with Standard Liege three points behind.
It has seen manager Unai Emery’s ability to run the Emirates stadium side questioned but former Manchester United star Patrice Evra has admitted that he is not surprised. The Frenchman, who won five Premier League titles with the Red Devils, went on to admit that there has been no change at Arsenal since Emery took over and the Gunners do not look like a winning team.
"Sheffield United deserved the win, but I'm not surprised about Arsenal. I used to call them 'my babies' 10 years ago, and they are still, when I look at them and think they are 'my babies'... that's the truth - I'm not being disrespectful when I say that. They look pretty, but they don't look like a winning team," he told Monday Night Football.
"They like playing good football, but I was so happy to play against them because I knew I was going to win. Even when Robin van Persie came, and on the first day I shook his hand, and I said, 'welcome to a man's club'. At the beginning, he was upset, but after one month he said, 'you were completely right, Patrice'.”
The Gunners now face Victoria SC in the Europa League before they face Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City in the league. Yet, despite this comparatively easy run with no Big Six team on their charts until December, Evra believes that the club has no leadership or a personality which will cause them a few problems.
"I just don't see any leadership. I don't see any character or any personality. They look weak mentally. They have big players in David Luiz, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, but there has been something missing for a few years now. Matteo Guendouzi was playing in midfield, but before he was playing in the French second league and he was not even playing regularly - and he's the best player in this team.
"I respect Aubameyang and Lacazette, but if those two guys don't score, they're in trouble, and nothing changes. I'm like, 'where is Arsene?' It is the same,” concluded the Frenchman.
