Sky Sports panel slam Arsenal, Kroenke targeted but general issue criticised

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Their defeat to Watford on Saturday has seemingly opened the floodgates for Arsenal to be criticised, and the Sunday Supplement have joined in.

With their seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions coming to an end, the loss this weekend leaves the Gunners in sixth place in the Premier League table, nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

It’s difficult to genuinely argue that Arsenal are capable of sticking with the competition in the title race this season, and so it has opened them up to more criticism over their lack of ambition while the manner of their defeat was also bitterly disappointing for supporters.

Refreshingly, it isn’t just Arsene Wenger who is being targeted this time, as the Sunday Supplement panel have looked at the hierarchy as they believe that is where the issue emanates from.

“You get the feeling with Arsenal, not with the fans, that there is an air at the club that it doesn’t really matter if they win the league or not,” The Sun’s Neil Custis said. “And I think that filters down to the players.”

The Daily Mail’s Martin Samuel agreed with the assessment, citing Kroenke in particular as being the problem having looked at his background with the franchises that he owns or previously ran in America.

“They are looking at it thinking why try to win the league when we can tick along nicely as a business and we don’t have to risk anything. At the top, it hasn’t set in with Wenger, but the people who own the club look at it in a different way and know they can still make a lot of money without winning the league.”

It has been reported in recent years that Arsenal are in a strong financial position, and yet they haven’t really addressed key weaknesses in their squad and transformed themselves into a real force in the English top flight since their previous dominant spell.

With another race for the top four seemingly ahead this season, it’s difficult to see how things change unless there is a serious shift in power at the very top to be a catalyst for the rest of the club at all levels.

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