Emmanuel Petit salutes Xhaka, says ’embarrassing’ Ronaldo is starting to annoy him and makes surprising top-four pick
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World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit won the double with Arsenal during the 1997-98 season in a formidable midfield partnership with Patrick Vieira.
In an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes: Fanzone, the Frenchman talked about Arsenal’s title chances, the race for the top four, Cristiano Ronaldo and Eddie Nketiah, but he started with his thoughts on Granit Xhaka.
Granit Xhaka is the definition of what it takes to be a sportsman
I don’t know him personally because we’re not from the same generation so we never played against each other, but I really like Mikel Arteta. I liked him a lot as a player; he was very intelligent on the pitch and had a great tactical understanding of the game. I’m not surprised about what he’s trying to do with Arsenal. The way he wants his team to play, the rules he puts in place, the decisions he makes – I’m a really big supporter of his. I always knew he needed time, but I also know modern football doesn’t really allow you much time. I’m so glad he’s been given that by the board because he has a great vision.
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He’s brought belief back to the fans and the players as well. He’s completely transformed so many players, as well. The first name that springs to mind for me is Granit Xhaka. He’s a survivor. The difference in him compared to where he was a couple of years ago, it’s night and day, it’s ice and fire. For me, he’s the definition of what it takes to be a sportsman.
You have to be a fighter, you have to be a warrior, sometimes against opponents, but also against team-mates and managers, the press and fans. Sometimes you’re in a really negative environment and it can be a real test of your mentality. This guy had both knees on the floor, his head down and his time at the club looked to be over. The way he’s come back from that and the way he’s almost reinvented his game, for me he’s the symbol of Arsenal Football Club under Mikel Arteta.
Ronaldo is starting to annoy me…Rangnick tantrums and smashing phones are an embarrassment
I’m very frustrated about the situation with Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United. Things should have been done differently in the best interest of both parties. I’ve been a big fan of Cristiano for some time, but recently he’s started to annoy me in terms of his reaction to certain things. His attitude just hasn’t been right, and I’m just thinking to myself ‘he has nothing to prove any more’.
He’s one of the best players we’ve ever seen and I can understand it’s difficult for him to accept his new role, but when you are in a position like Cristiano, you have to set an example to your younger team-mates and act professionally.
I’m sorry, but we’ve seen so many things happen with him now. We saw what happened in the summer where he didn’t have a pre-season. We saw what he did against Brentford under Ralf Rangnick when he was brought off. A couple of minutes after he was subbed off, Manchester United scored a goal, and I can remember watching him on the bench for a few minutes, it was embarrassing to see. Then we had the situation last season with the young supporter’s phone which he smashed at the end of the game, and now you’ve got this story about him leaving the stadium early.
Football is a great sport and it’s a privilege to be able to play at the highest level, but when you have the stature of someone like Cristiano, you have a responsibility to set an example. You can’t be at the top all of the time. You can’t be getting compliments from the media and from supporters forever, and when you do bad things, people have to talk about it.
It’s not good for him, for his image, and it’s not the way we want to see his career ending. He needs to take an opportunity to move on somewhere else and bounce back in a proper manner.
OK, you were United’s top scorer last season and everything was played through you, but the team plays differently now under a new manager and you’re on the bench. Cristiano needs to ask himself one simple question: is he really a professional when he’s behaving like this?
If you’re putting yourself before your team, don’t be surprised when you’re receiving criticism. For me, it’s bad. It’s bad to see this kind of attitude from him. He has to take responsibility for his actions.
Everyone at United is annoyed, it’s normal. When you have a big ego like this who is always putting himself first, you’re going to be annoyed. I would be if I was in the dressing room with him. I remember back in the day things like this were resolved in the dressing room between players and the manager. I don’t want to sound like an old guy talking about how much better things used to be, but in that respect, it definitely was handled a lot better. I’ve played for four clubs, and in every team I experienced players having problems… everything was resolved in the dressing room. That’s not the case any more.
Newcastle will beat Man United, Chelsea and Tottenham to fourth spot
Manchester City will obviously make the top four. Then behind them I think Arsenal and Liverpool will be there, which leaves four clubs, for me, battling for fourth spot.
I don’t think Tottenham will qualify for the Champions League. I think they’re going to have a difficult season. I also think Chelsea have had too many troubles over the last six months or so for anyone to confidently back them to make the top four. They’ve had too many injuries to players and problems off the pitch, so I think they’ll miss out.
I’ll throw a surprise in there and say Newcastle will finish fourth. I can see their owners being active once again in the January transfer window, and they’re not playing in a European competition which will be a massive benefit for them in the latter stages of the season. They’re improving a lot and they don’t have many players involved in the World Cup. That’s definitely going to make a massive difference, so I’ll put them in fourth place.
It’s too early for this Arsenal team to challenge for the title
For me, Arsenal aren’t in a title race. It’s too early for this team and I don’t think there’s enough depth in this squad to compete in every single competition. Team energy is so precious in the second half of the season, especially with the World Cup coming in just a few weeks from now. There are a lot of players from Arsenal who will be competing in the World Cup…that’s a big problem for Mikel Arteta.
It’s just too early for this team to challenge for the title, in my opinion. They’re in a really good place and look like they’re back on track. I’m very impressed with the standards and how they’ve improved in the last two years. It would be a big achievement for this side if they can finish in the top four. It would be a huge improvement on last season as well, especially when you look at how they missed out in the last few games.
If they can do something in the other cups as well, maybe the FA Cup or the Europa League, that would be a real bonus – but for me, the main target is a Champions League spot. Manchester City are just too far ahead of everyone in the title race at the moment.
Arsenal’s lack of depth worries me
I thought the first half against Southampton was great from Arsenal. The way they played, their energy, their movement. I’m not saying they could have sealed the game but they could have easily scored one or two more goals. My only concern was that physically the team struggled in the second half and I think that’s linked with the depth of the squad, or the lack thereof. Southampton came out very well in the second half, so you’ve got to give them credit for the character and fight they showed, and ultimately I’d say they deserved at least a point.
🗞 The draw
🗞 Our squad depth
🗞 What we need to improveEvery word from Mikel Arteta's post-#SOUARS press conference 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 23, 2022
Leaving St Mary’s with a point isn’t a bad result. You haven’t lost the game and you’re still top of the table. It’s a great starting XI that Mikel has assembled, but I worry about what happens if one of those players gets injured. That’s a big concern for me, that lack of depth. Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard are all doing great jobs. But it’s only those four. If one of them gets injured, what options does Mikel Arteta have?
A couple of younger players from the academy have just signed new contracts, Eddie Nketiah being one. But can you fight for the title or the Champions League with these players if any of those big four names get injured? I’m not sure, and I don’t know what the plans are in the next transfer window, but that’s definitely something I would be looking to address. Some big decisions need to be made in January.
Thursday night is Nketiah’s time to shine
You saw the reaction of the players after the Southampton game. They looked angry, they looked upset. Southampton were celebrating winning a point, and for me, I see a real winning mentality in that Arsenal reaction – when you hate losing games, or not even losing games but dropping points, because you know how important it is. They missed a great opportunity to pull even further ahead on Sunday.
I can understand the anger of some players, and I’m very happy with that. I’m sure Mikel Arteta will be happy with that response, too. This team is managing itself when you have that kind of spirit and mentality. That’s a great bonus for the manager because he doesn’t need to interact with them about what happened in the game. He knows that they should have done better.
They don’t have to be really hard on themselves, though. They looked a little bit tired by the final whistle on Sunday, so now it’s about resting and recovering this week before going again on Sunday against Nottingham Forest. I’m not expecting any of the players from Sunday to feature on Thursday night in the Europa League. They have already qualified for the knockout stages so Thursday is about giving opportunities to younger players, that’s what I’m expecting from Arteta later this week.
Give some confidence to Eddie Nketiah. He’s just signed a new contract in the summer, and there’s a big gap at the moment between him and a regular place in the starting line-up, so Thursday is a great opportunity to showcase his talent, away from home in Europe as well. I’m sure Arteta will give him the chance to lead the line.
