- Manchester United legend reacts to Arsenal comparison
- The current Arsenal side was compared to Manchester United’s 2008 side
- Have Arsenal bottled it?
Former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra recoiled in disbelief as former teammate Rio Ferdinand recalled Theo Walcott’s comparison between the 2008 side he played in and the current Arsenal team.
Arsenal slipped once more in the title race yesterday afternoon as Manchester City beat them 2-1. The Gunners offered little going forward, and while they fashioned a few openings, they never truly looked capable of overturning the deficit, nor even rescuing a draw.
This leaves City just three points behind, with Pep Guardiola’s side able to surge to the summit should they win their game in hand against Burnley on Wednesday.
A little under a month ago, the Gunners looked poised to complete a quadruple, but have since lost the League Cup final to the Citizens, been beaten by Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and now look set for a fourth successive second-placed finish.
Walcott’s Laughable Comparison
Walcott spoke to Wayne Rooney ahead of Arsenal’s match against Inter Milan in the Champions League when he appeared to question whether the Manchester United team of 2008 could “compete” with the Arsenal side of today.
Rooney, looking almost perplexed, simply responded: “We’d batter them.” Perhaps, as soon as the words left the former Arsenal winger’s mouth, he realised what he had said.
At the time, in fairness to Walcott, his former club sat top of the Champions League table with a flawless six wins from six record, led the Premier League with a seven-point cushion over Manchester City, and looked poised to secure at least one piece of silverware.
How Walcott must have felt just five days later when the current United side stormed the Emirates must have been humiliating. How Walcott must have felt three months later borders on catastrophic.
Arsenal are, of course, still in the title race. If City slip up just once and Arsenal win their remaining five games, they win the title. But it is not that simple.
It is almost hard to remember this Arsenal side at their best. Sure, throughout the season they have been a dreary watch, with Arteta’s men relying on set-pieces, but as a well-oiled machine, they once picked off teams like it was routine.
Now, they struggle to put points on the board, having suffered their first back-to-back Premier League defeats of the season.
‘He Shouldn’t be on TV’
On Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, the Englishman reminded his former teammate Evra of Walcott’s comments.
“I’m leaving,” said Evra, before Ferdinand burst into a fit of laughter.
“That is the problem with Arsenal, he is comparing this team with our 2008 team. I think he’s a menace [to] society; he should not be [on] TV.”
The Frenchman added:
“He’s dangerous for the kids. That’s why I keep saying they are delusional. I know I talk with my heart, but they are delusional. This is a disrespect; he should never, never be on TV again when he starts asking questions like that.”
Of course, Evra overexaggerates the comments, but they come from a place of truth. The BBC conducted a poll on who would win between the two sides, and not only did Dale Johnson say United would win, 81% of the BBC audience agreed with him.
