Arsenal icon Emmanuel Petit has highlighted the two Gunners players who he believes are not up to the standard required to win a Premier League title.
Mikel Arteta’s men have been involved in the last two title races, narrowly missing out to Manchester City in both cases despite racking up 84 points in 2022-23 and 89 the following campaign.
City’s dramatic drop-off this season, which at one point saw them go winless in seven, has been something of a gift for the Gunners, with Pep Guardiola’s side now firmly out of contention.
But Arsenal have not been able to capitalise on their rivals’ misfortunes and are currently in third on 36 points, behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest.
Instead it has been Liverpool who have surged up the table under new manager Arne Slot, catapulting themselves into an eight-point lead at the top going into 2025 with three straight wins to round off the year.
Petit has now explained why the Gunners have been left trailing in the Reds’ wake and picked out the two stars who are ‘not good enough to fight for the Premier League title’, in an interview with Ladbrokes.
Mikel Arteta’s men have struggled to take advantage of Man City’s woes so far this season
Emmanuel Petit played 118 times for the club and explained why they were so far behind Liverpool
He said: ‘Arsenal looked nervous at the start of the season. They made silly mistakes in games and dropped silly points. Easy red cards, you know. This has cost them.
‘But when you lose Martin Odegaard, and you lose Bukayo Saka – your two best players – it’s difficult to handle that. Arsenal have a strong squad, but they don’t have a bench like Liverpool.
‘Saka being out for a few weeks is a huge blow – but other players now need to come in, step up, and take on the responsibility.
‘I’ve been waiting for some players to reach a level, and I’m quite frustrated, to be honest, actually. I’m still waiting for them to reach the next level.
‘I’m thinking about Gabriel Martinelli, for example. I’m not happy with Martinelli. He had a good game against Crystal Palace a few days ago, but that’s not enough.
‘When you look at his journey, and how he started in the first-team, around the same time as Saka… when you look at how Saka has improved, year after year, and has become one of the best players in the Premier League, I’m thinking “when is that going to come from Martinelli?”
‘He’s not the only one; Gabriel Jesus is the same. He’s been playing well, recently, but that’s not enough. I’m sorry, but that’s not enough.’
‘If you want to win titles, and you want to compete every season for the best prizes, you need to regularity and consistency in your performances, and you have to take on the responsibility, when your best players are out injured.
Petit has selected Gabriel Martinelli as one player lacking the quality for a title race
The Arsenal icon also suggested Gabriel Jesus, who has five goals in two, is not good enough
Martinelli and Jesus both start in the front three for a New Year’s Day clash versus Brentford
‘A few players in that team just aren’t good enough to be fighting for the title. That’s my opinion. But because Arteta doesn’t have options, he has to play with them.
‘Honestly, do you think Gabriel Martinelli would get into that Liverpool team? No. So how do you compete with that? Rise up your level. You know, you’ve been at the club for years now. You have the chance to play for one of the best clubs in Europe. Take your responsibility.
‘Or, if you’re not good enough, then the club has to make a decision on you at the end of the season. I’m sorry to say that, but I’m tired, and fed up, of seeing some of these guys signing contract extensions, for four or five years. On what? Based on what?
‘You’re playing for Arsenal – you’re not playing for a mid-table team, you know? That means your expectation has to rise up. Your mentality, everything, you have to bring more.
‘And if you can’t, then that means – for me – you don’t have the talent to stay at Arsenal. I’m sorry to say that.
‘We have seen his quality in patches, but it’s not enough. He is still young, and he can recover quickly, so playing so regularly is not an issue for him. Come on; you have to show more on the pitch.’
World Cup winner Petit made 118 appearances for Arsenal from 1997 to 2000, lifting the Premier League and the FA Cup in the early years of Arsene Wenger’s tenure.
The Gunners have a chance to make it three victories on the spin with a trip to Brentford on New Year’s Day, as Thomas Frank’s men look to end their three-game winless run. Both Jesus and Martinelli are starting in the front three along with Ethan Nwaneri.
