“Arsenal is the strongest team in Premier League but they have ONE big problem which they must solve if they want to win Champions League”: Nottingham Forest coach Nuno Espirito has identified Arsenal biggest problem, backs them to win Champions League if they solve it
Nuno Espirito Santo has summed up everything that’s wrong at Arsenal right now in one brutal statement following the Gunners’ draw with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
The two teams, who are currently sitting second and third in the table, met in a Premier League clash at the City Ground, but couldn’t be separated as things ended 0-0.
It was another disappointing result for Mikel Arteta’s men, as Liverpool continued to extend their lead at the top of the league. Initially, Arsenal were in a title race with Arne Slot’s men, but recent results have seen the Reds build a 13-point gap between the two. One of the reasons for the Gunners’ struggles is the injury bug they’ve been hit with.
Recently, they’ve lost stars such as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz to injury and they’re very light on options up front right now. In fact, they’ve been playing midfielder Mikel Merino up top and even had Riccardo Calafiori playing in an advanced role against Forest. The pair have done a solid enough job, but there’s still a serious lack of firepower in the team and that’s something Espirito Santo himself pointed out.
Espirito Santo Commented On Arsenal’s Lack of Forwards
He pointed out how light they were up top
Forest have exceeded any expectations this season and are in serious contention for a Champions League spot. The work that Espirito Santo has done is remarkable and his tactics have worked wonders.
Throughout the campaign, he’s had his side switch to five at the back at times and it’s become a staple for the club. Despite playing one of the two best teams in England on Wednesday night, he didn’t have his side do that and when quizzed why afterwards, he didn’t mince his words and he simply said:
“As Arsenal doesn’t have a striker… there’s no need for an extra body.”
He was brutally honest and commented on how light Arsenal are up front right now. The goals have dried up for Arteta’s men recently and it’s easy to see why. Speaking after the game, the Spanish coach spoke about his side’s struggles in front of goal and addressed their efforts to try and figure things out.
In quotes shared via Arsenal’s official website, he said: “We tried and adapting the quality that we have, how we can help the team to create different things, to have threats from different qualities, probably they are not about arriving in the box and creating some magic moments, they are other kind of players. Try to adapt to that and do the best that we can.”
