In an exclusive interview with BOYLE Sports , former Arsenal, Benfica and Sunderland midfielder Stefan Schwarz has backed Arsenal for a successful end to their season as they fight on all four fronts and has not ruled out what would be a historic quadruple success.
The Swedish football legend also spoke about The Gunners strength-in-depth, Arleta's handling of Eze, whether Gyokeres will be a success at the club and his prediction ahead of their EFL Cup second-leg on Tuesday Night.
Champions League
Arsenal’s Champions League Challenge
Arsenal are looking good. They’ve been strong in Europe. Eight wins? That’s unbelievable. There will be a lot of competition, but I think they’re up for it. They’re up for any competition this season, and the Champions League is just one of them, even if it’s maybe the hardest one to be successful in.
Playoff Bound PSG And Real Madrid
I think Arsenal’s squad is strong enough with a lot of depth and a lot of quality. They’ve shown that they are capable. They bounce back from the results that are less than good in the Premier League. We saw that against Leeds United.
Some players are coming back, too, like Kai Havertz. I think Mikel Arteta can be very happy with the situation. The squad looks confident to me of what lies ahead. Now in the final third of the season, every match is even more important, and every point and win is more vital because you have no margin for error. Mistakes can catch up with you for sure.
Biggest Rivals
Manchester City and Bayern Munich will be a threat, and you can’t count out Paris Saint-Germain. But there are no easy games. It’s a very strong competition. But I think Arsenal are one of the favourites for sure.
Who Will Win The Champions League?
Premier League
Strength In-Depth
I think Arsenal’s squad speaks for itself, and I think they push each other too. They know they have the hunger that every top team has, but I think they look very solid too and very confident about their ability to achieve something special. There is a good harmony in the team and in the squad. It's a team with ambition.
They have been very close to winning something a few times. Maybe you learn from those experiences and learn from your failures to be more successful. Every year, you want to be better. I’m looking forward to this being a better season than last year.
“It’s Part Of A Process” Losing Will Inspire Arsenal
It's a part of a process. No one goes into winning titles from the beginning. It requires maturity and experience in the whole process of working together and being stronger every time.
Even when you have a bad result, a bad performance, you have to have the confidence and the self-belief and discipline to bounce back straight away because no one will have pity for you. You have to deliver all the time, and that's the pressure, but that's the beauty about sport and football that every game you can prove yourself for the better, and Arsenal are doing that this season.
Title-Race
Are Manchester City and Aston Villa having a wobble, or is the competition in the Premier League just very strong? There are no easy games today. Everyone needs points for various reasons. Some want to win the league. Others want to play in the Champions League . Some others want to get into other European competitions, or they need the points to stay up this season. Everyone is fighting for their own purpose.
Arsenal's Attack
Arteta’s Eze Of Handling
I think it’s a privilege for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta to have options like Eberechi Eze in reserve, and it’s always good to have options. There’s only eleven players who can start a game.
Arteta always chooses his players with the biggest belief that it’s the best eleven to start that game, and sometimes you have to change your game plan, and you have to make substitutions to protect a result or chase a more positive result. I think it’s a very comfortable situation for Arteta. It’s a good situation to try and win as many games as possible, and there will be injuries, too.
Has Gyokeres Answered Critics?
Is Viktor Gyokeres good enough to be starting for Arsenal ? They are all good strikers. It just depends on the game plan, who the opponents are, and the strengths and weaknesses of their defence.
I think the competition for places is only beneficial for Arsenal , and each striker brings a certain experience to the team. It is good that Gyokeres is starting to score some goals, but we still haven’t seen the best of him. He came in late, didn’t train with the team, and then had an injury, but he is a strong player, he works very hard, and we will only see the best version of Gyokeres at Arsenal next season.
Hopefully, Gyokeres can score more goals and deliver good results like Jesus and Havertz this season. You can always perform well individually, but it’s more important for the team to be successful.
Prediction: Arsenal vs Chelsea
Prediction: Arsenal vs Chelsea
Arsenal vs Chelsea is going to be a tough game. Chelsea will go for it. Arteta will try to get a positive result, but Arsenal have to play their normal way.
They’re playing at home at the Emirates . They have to be the dominant side without going crazy because they have a positive result from the first leg. They can have a little bit more patience than Chelsea , but sometimes you have to be positive straight away. You have to be on the front foot. You can’t let Chelsea take the initiative. Arsenal have got to get the crowd behind them and hopefully score a couple of goals, but a draw would be sufficient.
Who would I like to see score those goals? Any of them. What I like to see is the team being successful. Of course, I’m Swedish, so I want my fellow countrymen to do well for Arsenal and in the Premier League , but you have to be on your toes at all times. You have to always deliver. You have to always perform. It can’t come down to whether Gyokeres scores or not. It should be a very joyful match to watch, I believe.
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