Carragher names Arsenal’s biggest weakness as he performs U-turn on Champions League winner | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher no longer believes Arsenal can win the Champions League despite the Gunners securing their passage through to the semi-finals, and having named the lack of quality which will derail their dreams, while a high-profile journalist has suggested that capitulation in the competition and the Premier League could spell the end for Mikel Arteta.

Arteta’s side edged their way through to the last four of the competition with a goalless draw against Sporting CP, to secure a 1-0 aggregate win and a semi-final date with Atletico Madrid. The winners of that game will play either Bayern Munich or reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Budapest-staged showpiece.

However, despite reaching the last four of the competition for the second successive season, Carragher has decided to perform a U-turn on his prediction, prior to the last-16 ties being played, when he predicted Arsenal would beat PSG in the final.

And now, having surveyed their quarter-final second leg clash against the Portuguese side, he is convinced that Arsenal don’t have the star quality across their attack to go all the way.

Explaining his thinking, Carragher told CBS Sports: “I’m not sure they’ve got the quality in the attack.

“The game we just watched tonight, you think of the players on both teams, Arsenal don’t have that.

“It’s not a criticism, they just don’t have those players in attack, they haven’t.

“So, that’s why I think when you get to the business end of the season, certainly in the Champions League… even though I tipped Arsenal to win it, I just don’t believe it.

“I can’t see a team winning the Champions League who don’t have a star in the front four, and they haven’t got one.”

Gunners legend Thierry Henry agreed and reckons the club must go out all guns blazing in Sunday’s title showdown with Manchester City.

“I want to see that fire at the Etihad,” Henry told CBS Sports.

“That’s what I want to see, it’s easy to talk, go there, at Man City, and deliver.

“I believe in what I see, though, I believe in him Arteta, ‘the fire’, but when you talk like that, you have to do it then. I didn’t see that tonight.

“We are through, so happy, semi-final, I never won it, but I won the league though, go and win at Man City, I want to see that fire there, I believe Mikel, yes, but show it.”

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Journalist fears Arteta may be sacked by Arsenal

Despite securing their place in the last four, prominent journalist John Cross of The Mirror believes a failure to win a trophy this season, having just a few weeks ago been well on track for all four, could have serious ramifications for Arteta.

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed on Wednesday that Arsenal chiefs will hold a review into Arteta’s future at the season’s end after expressing concerns over how the last few weeks have unravelled.

Now, following on from that, Cross stated: “Well, that’s the fear. I do think it would be very difficult to overcome that.

“They were nine points clear, that’s the worry, isn’t it.

“To blow that position of strength… City are bearing down on them; they’ve done it two or three of the last few seasons, they’ve hunted them down, overtaken them.

“I do think Arsenal look a bit fearful at the moment.”

He added: “The club love him, the job he’s done in six years has been remarkable. He’s been absolutely fantastic for this club.

“He’s rebuilt the belief, rebuilt the connection with the fans.

“We were talking a month or so ago about the quadruple. I don’t know whether you can blow it all and still carry on, and still have the respect of the fans, and still also believe yourself, and be believed. That’s the bigger issue.”

Juventus chase Arsenal star as Gunners race towards Newcastle swoop

Meanwhile, reports in Italy claim Juventus are considering a blockbuster move for an Arsenal defender, whose future is the subject of speculation.

The Turn-based giants are also plotting the signings of Manchester City and Liverpool stars in a statement triple raid on the Premier League.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are primed to go head-to-head with Liverpool for Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall, per reports, and have reportedly ‘leapfrogged’ the Merseysiders in the race.

Another Toon star the Gunners like is Anthony Gordon, though it’s reported that the Gunners are in danger of missing out on his signature, with a reliable source revealing that the England winger is open to a move to a major European giant