Rio Ferdinand has pinpointed a crucial oversight by Mikel Arteta that he believes has kept Arsenal from being even closer to Premier League leaders Liverpool.
With just 13 games left in the season, Arsenal remain in the title race but trail Arne Slot’s Liverpool by seven points.
While Arsenal are no strangers to title challenges in recent years, Ferdinand argues that Arteta’s failure to use teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri earlier in the campaign may have cost them valuable points.
During a period when captain Martin Odegaard was sidelined with injury, Arsenal struggled to maintain consistency. According to Ferdinand, Nwaneri should have been given more opportunities at that time.
“Arsenal could be closer to winning the league if your manager had played Nwaneri when Odegaard was injured,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel. “What he’s doing now he’s cooking defenders, he’s cooking teams. I think if he came in earlier, you would have gotten more points.”
Nwaneri, 17, has been a revelation in recent weeks, scoring three goals in his last seven games and playing a key role in Arsenal’s win over Leicester City on Saturday.
Liverpool, however, remain firm at the top after their gritty 2-1 victory over Wolves. Speaking after the match, Slot acknowledged that Arsenal is their biggest threat in the title race.
“In a season where you want to achieve something, you need wins like this,” Slot said. “I see Arsenal’s 15-game unbeaten run, yet the gap has remained the same. That shows what we have to do.”
With both teams in relentless form, will Arsenal regret not unleashing Nwaneri sooner, or can they still close the gap before the season’s end?