Paul Merson says Arsenal ‘have a chance’ of making the top four after their north London derby victory… while he claims that if Tottenham have ‘one more game like that’ then boss Nuno Espirito Santo will be SACKED
- Arsenal took a comfortable 3-1 victory against rivals Tottenham on Sunday
- The Gunners have won their last three while Spurs have lost their last three
- Paul Merson feels Arsenal could mount a challenge for the top four this season
- He has claimed Nuno Espirito Santo could lose his job with one more bad result
Arsenal can mount a stunning challenge for the top four this season, according to their former player Paul Merson.
His comments come after the Gunners’ brilliant display during their 3-1 victory in the north London derby over Tottenham at the weekend.
Merson also expressed his fears over Nuno Espirito Santo’s future at Tottenham – just under three months after he was appointed manager of the club.
Paul Merson believes Arsenal could mount a challenge for the Champions League spots
After their 3-1 victory over Tottenham, the Gunners have now won three on the bounce
In his Sky Sports column, Merson insisted Arsenal have a chance of making next season’s Champions League, thanks in part to their lack of involvement in Europe this campaign.
He said: ‘If Arsenal keep those players fit and they play every week, they would have a chance of getting in the top four and cause problems. They have no Europe this season, so will have time to recover and work on the team.
‘But this is Arsenal though and has been since they last won the league in 2004, since when they have never really looked like winning the league.
‘The game on Sunday was their bread and butter, but if they win away at Brighton on Saturday, then I will sit up. But if we talk next week and they have lost at the Amex, I would not be shocked. And that is the problem, they need to get a run of games together.’
Merson (left) believes Arsenal not being in Europe will help them challenge this season
Merson fears Nuno Espirito Santo could lose his job with one more bad result like Arsenal loss
Arsenal produced a devastating first-half performance against Tottenham on Sunday, scoring three goals inside the first 34 minutes.
The result means Arsenal have now won three games on the bounce, after losing the same amount of games to start the season.
Arsenal have not participated in the Champions League since the 2016-17 season when Arsene Wenger was in charge.
Tottenham meanwhile have headed in the opposite direction after they held a hundred percent record after the first three games.
Tottenham have lost their last three games and now sit 11th in the Premier League table
Nuno’s side have now conceded three goals in each of their last three games and sit 11th in the Premier League standings.
Merson said: ‘I’ve always liked Nuno and thought he would get a top job, but there are ways of getting beat at football and those players were not running through a brick wall for him on Sunday. And that is where the worry starts.’
He added: ‘If the players want someone out, they are out – one more game like that and Nuno is gone, Spurs will not mess about, they can’t have that.’
