Former Manchester United hero suggests Arsenal would be the ‘worst team’ to win the Premier League

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes claims Arsenal would be the “worst team” to ever win the Premier League.

The Gunners sit four points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa at the summit despite a recent blip that has seen them claim just two points from their last three league games.

Mikel Arteta’s side has attracted criticism for an over-reliance on set-pieces with a league high of 15 goals via that route. They have scored 42 in total – second only to City – but rank 17th for their percentage of goals from open play.

Arsenal’s attack has not sparked this season with their leading scorers Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard netting just five. Own goals (four) is next on the list alongside Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.

Add it all up and Scholes, who won the title 11 times with United, does not believe Arsenal winning the league would be good for English football.

He told The Good, The Bad and the Football podcast: “If Arsenal win the league, this could be the worst team to win the league. If you’re thinking of picking a team of the season and picking the front four, nobody from the Arsenal team gets in that.

“Look at previous champions – Liverpool’s forwards, brilliant. Possibly the only one is Saka, and I don’t think he’s been brilliant. He’s not scored many goals this year or assists.”

Saka has not scored in his last 13 games in all competitions while major summer signing Gyokeres has not scored a non-penalty in his last 11 league games.

Carragher also highlights Arsenal’s blunt attack

Scholes’ point was partially echoed by Sky pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who said: “When have you ever seen a team at the top of the table, who have been top by six or seven points, but if you were picking the best team of the Premier League so far, you wouldn’t have one of their players in the front four?

“That is not normal, that would never happen. The best team in the league would always have at least one, maybe two players [forwards], in the team of the season.

“Arsenal don’t have that right now, and that plays into the fact that they don’t have a genuine superstar at the top end of the pitch.”

Arteta says response to setbacks has been positive

The Gunners play Kairat Almaty in the Champions League tonight, although it is expected to be a much-changed team with Arteta’s side already guaranteed of their place in the round of 16.

The Spaniard struck a positive tone at his press conference yesterday, dismissing his team’s recent struggles and vowing to approach the final months of the season with a front-foot mindset.

He said: “We took a moment to bring the temperature down, to pause and to reflect and to ask questions. One is how do we feel? How do I feel? And how do we want to live the next four months?

“And it was so encouraging and beautiful because what came out of there is very simple. We have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions and – in the next four months – we’re going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and a conviction that we’re going to win it.

“And this is the mindset and where we’re going to put the energy. I’m just hoping everyone who is related to this club, especially the supporters, are going to jump on this boat because this is the way we’re going to live the next four months.”