Ex-Newcastle boss Pardew claims Arsenal’s potential title should come with asterisk
Arsenal are seven points clear of Manchester City after their win over Brighton at Amex Stadium, but the criticism of the league leaders continues to mount.
A ten-man Newcastle United handed Michael Carrick his first loss as Manchester United manager, but one former Magpie was much more interested in another Wednesday night Premier League match. Alan Pardew didn’t hold back after another ugly Arsenal win to keep them at the top of the table.
Pardew: nothing beautiful about Arsenal
Mikel Arteta´s side has come under plenty of scrutiny over the last few months for their style of play, and Wednesday’s match at Amex Stadium didn’t silence many of those critics. They beat Brighton 1-0 as they continued their eight match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, but they were outplayed by a side in the bottom half of the table. They had significantly less possession than the Seagulls and were outshot 11-7.
Bukayo Saka´s deflection goal in the 9th minute was enough to earn three points away from home, but all the win did was lengthen the line of critics who are looking to take their shot at the league leaders. Former West Ham and Newcastle Manager Alan Pardew first went after the their approach to managing the match, “When I’m looking at them with my football manager’s head on, they’re so professional. They do every bit of gamesmanship to get it over the line,” Pardew told talkSPORT after the match.
It’s a bit of a backhanded compliment, saying they are professional, but also stating that there is some cheekiness to the way they go about winning their matches. He followed that message up with one that needs no interpretation or reading between the lines. “There’ll be an asterisk next to their name because you’ve only got to look at them... and say, it’s just a functional display. They’re good, they’re strong, they’re powerful. But there is nothing beautiful about them. That’s the truth.”
Arsenal´s quad quest
Pardew isn´t the only one to have put the Gunners in the crosshairs lately. Brighton boss Fabian Huzeler was critical of the way Arsenal try and bend the rules in their favor before and after the match. After the match he pointed the finger at goalkeeper David Raya for time wasting. “Did you see in a Premier League game a goalkeeper going down three times in a game? We need to find a way to find solutions against these kind of teams and that’s our responsibility so we have to keep working,” said the German manager.
Arteta has assumed the position and letting the open criticism directed at his squad bounce right off of him, knowing that he has Arsenal closer to winning the league title than they have been in the last two decades. Their win on the south coast has them seven points clear of Manchester City who could only manage a draw against Nottingham Forest at the Etihad on Wednesday.
Now the Gunners will set their sights Mansfield in the fifth round of the FA Cup as they continue their quest for a historic quad this season. They are still in the hunt for four titles, and are in fantastic position to make a run at all. They had a generous draw in the Champions League, have reached the final of the Carabao Cup, inching closer towards the final of the FA Cup, and have a comfortable lead on the rest of the pack in the Premier League.
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