Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven shows Mikel Arteta’s side may struggle to maintain their Premier League title charge while playing in the Europa League.
That’s according to talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara, although fellow Sports Bar host Jason Cundy believes there have been more worrying signs about their title tilt in their last few league outings.
As they were, the Gunners suffered only their second defeat of this season. outplayed by PSV in the Netherlands.
A point would have been enough for the north London club to secure top spot in their group, but they were deservedly beaten by Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team, who had two goals disallowed before Joey Veerman and Luuk de Jong fired home for the hosts.
It was a disappointing performance by the Gunners. Arteta made six modifications to his squad.
And former Tottenham man O’Hara claimed the defeat underpinned a weakness in their side that may harm their ability to hold onto top spot in the Premier League.
“It just shows the weakness in Arsenal in terms of the squad,” he said.
“The 11 players they’ve got are fantastic, Mikel Arteta has put together a really good side. You have to hold your hands up and say, ‘They are looking good’.
“But as the season progresses the games come thick and fast, all of a sudden tiredness is going to set in, you might pick up an injury here and there, and then you’ve got to play a different team, different players, different squad and they will struggle.”
Cundy, however, said Arsenal’s last two performances in the Premier League will be more of a worry for supporters, having scraped a lucky 1-0 victory over Leeds at Elland Road before being held in a 1-1 draw at Southampton.
“I’m not sure tonight is the one they should be worried about,” said the former Chelsea defender.
“What perhaps could concern Arsenal in the last two halves in the last two games in the Premier League away at Leeds and away at Southampton, there was a drop off in intensity.
“That might be a little bit more of a concern.
“They got away with it at Leeds, they might have had a red card and Leeds missed a penalty.
“And in the second-half against Southampton I thought Saints were excellent, I was expecting Arsenal to go through the gears again and have a second wind, and it never happened
“Long-term that’s going to be where Arsenal fans are probably going to be a little bit more fearful about that squad depth.
“What are they going to do, how are they going to handle it when it’s Thursday-Sunday, Thursday-Sunday if they qualify for the Europa League knockout stages?”
