Arsenal has become the center of attention in English football following an unbelievable slip-up at Molineux, handing Man City a chance to close the gap.
Arsenal missed the opportunity to extend their lead to 7 points in the title race after a 2-2 draw against Wolves on February 19. Notably, Arsenal took a two-goal lead but allowed the bottom-placed team to equalize, bringing Manchester City back into contention.
The gap between the top two teams is now just 2 points, after Man City defeated Newcastle 2-1 on February 21. This raises concerns that Arsenal might falter again in the title race. They have won only 2 of their last 7 matches and drawn the last two.
According to Alex Crook, chief football reporter at talkSPORT, if Arsenal ends the season empty-handed, Arteta should leave the club after 7 years, during which he won 1 FA Cup and 2 Community Shields.
Crook directly criticized Arteta's team selection on the talkSPORT Daily podcast: “If Arsenal doesn’t win the title, it would be a terrible failure and the responsibility lies with Mikel Arteta. In my opinion, he should offer his resignation.”
“If you are a title contender and take the lead within 4 minutes against possibly the worst team in Premier League history… you have to crush the opponent. You must attack relentlessly, score the second, third, fourth goals. Goal difference can decide the race. But Arsenal didn’t do that; they retreated, played safe, and even after scoring again, they invited Wolves back into the game,” Crook added.
Crook also criticized Arsenal players for blatantly wasting time. He pointed out Declan Rice took nearly a minute to take a corner, and Trossard attempted to get a red card. According to Crook, that’s not the behavior of champions.
The talkSPORT chief football reporter believes the main responsibility rests with coach Mikel Arteta. He said Arteta has been given nearly every resource but still risks finishing the season without trophies.
According to Crook, Man City this season is not as dominant as in previous years, and other rivals also have issues. Therefore, Arsenal should be racing ahead with overwhelming strength, but in reality, they are struggling and could lose the top spot if they continue to slip.
“He can prove me wrong, but if Arsenal doesn’t win the Premier League or Champions League, at least he should offer to resign,” Crook stated.