NIGEL WINTERBURN has warned Arsenal’s flops they are not too good to go down.
The former Gunners left-back was part of a star-studded West Ham team that got relegated in 2003.
Manager Mikel Arteta is battling to save his job as eight defeats in the first 14 Premier League games have left Arsenal sixth from bottomCredit: EPA
Nigel Winterburn and Italian legend Paolo Di Canio were in a West Ham side littered with big names who were relegated in 2003Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Arsenal are 15th in the Premier League, just four points off the drop zone and were smashed 4-1 by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Under-fire boss Mikel Arteta is fighting to save his job, with calls for him to be sacked after a dismal campaign and Chelsea to come on Boxing Day.
Ex-Arsenal full-back Winterburn now fears things have got “desperate” at the Emirates, with no wins in seven league matches.
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And the 1997-98 Double-winner is worried they could now follow his old West Ham team.
That side included England keeper David James, Manchester United legend Michael Carrick, Paolo Di Canio, Joe Cole and Jermain Defoe.
Speaking after the launch of free-to-play fantasy football jackpot game Fantasy5, Winterburn said: “When I left Arsenal and went to West Ham in my last season we had a fantastic team — but we got relegated.
“But we couldn’t win a game of football. You go out with all good intentions, you might play well to start with, and you can’t score and boost that confidence.
“All of a sudden you get an individual error or you get a player sent off and your backs are against the wall, and you go on to not win the game.
“That’s exactly what happened at West Ham for a long period of time. I see similar things happening at Arsenal.
“They have got to get two back-to-back victories, very, very quickly. It’s no good saying ‘We’re only 14 games in, there’s time’.
“You can seeing the confidence is ebbing away from this team.
“They’re tentative, it’s almost as if they’re waiting for something to happen to react to, something against them rather than dictate the play.
“It’s very, very worrying because they’re not scoring many goals. If Aubameyang doesn’t score, I don’t know who is.”
The 57-year-old, who was twice capped by England, now feels the Gunners are looking down instead of up.
He added: “You can’t hide away from the fact we’re looking at the teams below us, rather than focusing on the teams above.
“It’s been such a strange season already in terms of results and up to a couple of weeks ago we were sitting in a similar position.
“I was thinking if we get a couple of wins in the next couple of games, we’d be sitting eighth or ninth in the league, a few points behind the top four teams.
“Then all of a sudden you lose those games and now you’re thinking the points difference is starting to get quite large to the European places.
You look below and you’re only four points and a couple of teams above the relegation places, and it starts to make you really nervous.
Nigel Winterburn
“Then you look below you and see you’re only four points and a couple of teams above the relegation places, and it starts to make you feel really nervous.
“This team has got to get two back-to-back victories quickly and with that you get confidence’
“You get belief and you can try and get the season up and running.
“I’ve got to say, at the moment, it’s desperate.
“I’ve worked on most of the games this season, and it’s quite a hard watch.
“I’m willing the team to be brave and go out and get on the front foot, even if it’s just a lucky goal when they’re on top in games.
“It’s not happening for them. You can’t hide from the fact it’s poor.”
- NIGEL WINTERBURN was speaking after the launch of free-to-play fantasy football jackpot game Fantasy5.
Mikel Arteta reflects on painful Arsenal defeat to Man City in the Carabao Cup
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
