"Now or Never for Arteta" - Petit Warns Arsenal Boss

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit has given his assessment on whether his former club has the strength-in-depth and mental strength to finally win a Premier League title.

Elsewhere he's given his thoughts on the leading Champions League contenders with strong words for his former club but says Atletico Madrid will provide them with a stern test next week.

Petit has a stark warning for Mikel Arteta suggesting it's "Now Or Never" for him landing one of the two major trophies and has backed former Arsenal footballer Jack Wilshere for success with Luton Town.

Arsenal

Are Arsenal Premier League Favourites?

When you look at Arsenal's schedule from the start of the season, they've been playing against top Premier League teams, and they lead the table. I know some people would argue that Arsenal lost many points against average teams last season, and I would agree.

However, the main reason Arsenal lost the Premier League to Man City and Liverpool in the last two or three seasons was because of player injuries. Now they have depth on the bench. We've seen that even with players like Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard missing, they've still won games. This, for me, is the big difference.

So, yes, people are saying they will mentally drop, especially in the second part of the season. I would say it was the same last season, and the two and three seasons before that.

They were missing important players from the starting eleven and had no options to replace them on the pitch. Now they have the choice to do so.

So, we will see in the second part of the season if they're still competing for the title race. We will see if they drop mentally. But I'm pretty sure if they don't have injuries and they're still competing for the Premier League title, they won't drop. I'm pretty sure about that because they have strong character in the team.

Arsenal’s Strongest Squad Ever?

They have more options than we did back in the day. But back then, even without those options, we had a very good group. We might have had fewer choices in some positions, but we still managed to win titles.

So, I don't know what it means to be the best team across generations. If you look at the Invincibles, they won the title, and no one could beat them. Are they the best team in Arsenal history? Or is it the team that won the double in 1998? I have no idea.

The only thing I know is that if you want to compare teams, you need to compare what they've achieved. And at the moment, this current team hasn't achieved anything.

Champions League Favourites

Champions League Favourites

I think if you look at what happened against Paris Saint-Germain, Paris Saint-Germain beat every single English team except Chelsea during the Club World Cup final. Of course, Paris Saint-Germain needed some luck sometimes. When you look at Aston Villa, the great save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. When you look at the first 25 minutes of the second leg against Arsenal as well, the great save from Donnarumma again.

They needed to win on penalties against Liverpool. So, of course, you need luck, but sometimes luck is not destiny. You need to provoke it. I think Arsenal, the way they won, especially the first game against Bilbao, they didn't play very well, but they managed, and there was a huge atmosphere at the stadium. So, the players are very experienced now.

They've been dealing with huge expectations every single season they've been playing. The spine of the team has been playing together for years now. So, all of them have reached a different level over the last couple of years. Now they are eager to win titles.

For me, the symbol of that is those top players who signed new contracts at the club because they love the club, because they believe in the vision of the club, because they believe in Mikel Arteta, and they believe that the team can win something. I think this season will be very important for every single player, and they are big contenders in the Champions League.

Atletico vs Arsenal

Atletico Madrid will pose a significant test for Arsenal. They are a fierce and aggressive opponent, known for their experience in dealing with top European and La Liga teams for years. They have the DNA to manage high-pressure situations.

This match will be a good test for Arsenal and to see if they can stay composed against a very aggressive team that can also play good football in transition. It will be a very interesting challenge for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta

Now Or Never For Arteta

For me, it's now or never in the Premier League for Mikel Arteta. They've been challenging for the title for the last three years, improving in the Champions League. So, I think this season they have to do something.

When you look at the teams in the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain are still the benchmark. They beat Barcelona away from home with style, even without many players.

So they will be very difficult to beat again, especially when their injured players return. There are other big clubs that will be difficult for Arsenal, but Arsenal will also be difficult to beat, honestly. I'm not worried about Arsenal qualifying for the next round in the Champions League; they will. I'm still questioning their ability to progress when you only have two games.

This is different; the margin is very thin, and you have to bring what's needed to go through. I'm still wondering about this with Arsenal, if they are able to do that. For the Premier League, I have no reason to believe that they won't be in the mix in the second part of the season. They will be there fighting for the title. Without injuries, they will be there.”

Jack Wilshere

Wilshere For Luton?

I wish Jack Wilshere the best of luck. We've seen so many former players recently going into management. Whether they have success or not, it's different regarding the personality of the clubs as well.

We can probably talk about Frank Lampard, for example, or Damien Duff. But we have so many former players whose big names have been struggling, like Wayne Rooney, for example, or Steven Gerrard.

Those guys show it's not easy. You have to be very disciplined. So I wish Jack Wilshere the best of luck. I think if he can bring the DNA of Arsenal to his teams, just like Mikel Arteta, I think this is something very important.

You need to have your own vision and stick with your principles, but you need to get the players, and you need to be able to get the players behind you. I think the support of the players is very important nowadays. I know the mentality of players now is completely different from what I've seen in the past.

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