Paul Scholes reveals he has been ‘DISAPPOINTED’ with Arsenal’s start to the season, as the Man United legend highlights the one area they have been ‘poor’ – despite the Gunners not losing any of their opening five matches
- Arsenal have taken 11 points from their first five games and are unbeaten
- But Paul Scholes has not been impressed with the Gunners so far this season
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Paul Scholes admitted Arsenal have let him down this season despite the Gunners remaining unbeaten after their first five games.
Mikel Arteta’s men have taken 11 of a possible 15 points after a tough run of matches including away games against Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester City.
They won at Villa and their north London rivals but held City to a 2-2 draw in a grim match on Sunday, leaving them just two points behind the leaders as they look to finally beat Pep Guardiola’s side.
However, Scholes is not impressed with the way they have played in the opening weeks of the season.
Speaking at the Overlap Fan Debate, hosted by Sky BettingScholes said: ‘Arsenal will have to beat them at some point [Manchester City at the Etihad]They almost succeeded, and it took them a lot of effort.
Paul Scholes has said he is ‘disappointed’ with Arsenal’s start to the season
Mikel Arteta’s men have taken 11 of a possible 15 points but have failed to impress Scholes
Scholes believes Arsenal are title contenders but is unhappy with the way they are playing
‘I sat here at the start of the season and thought Arsenal would win the league, but I’m a little disappointed with their start to the season.’
Arsenal have conceded just three goals so far this season despite having the best defence in the league last season.
They also scored 91 goals in the 2023-24 season and opted not to sign a striker in the summer.
Yet the goals have dried up this season, with Arsenal scoring just eight goals, fewer than tenth-placed Tottenham, and Manchester United legend Scholes unconvinced by Arteta’s attacking prowess in recent weeks.
‘Arsenal have been poor this season,’ Scholes added. ‘You look at all the goals they scored last year and everyone was talking about getting a striker in the summer and you thought they probably didn’t need one.
‘But after five or six games it feels like Arsenal are struggling. It’s not quite clicking.’
Arsenal’s approach this season has divided opinion. They have remained resolute at the back, with Rio Ferdinand claiming William Saliba and Gabriel are the best central defensive pairing in Europe at the moment, while they also continue to thrive from set-pieces.
But they haven’t been at their best in attack. Arsenal were happy to cede possession to Tottenham for long periods before taking all three points from a corner, and they also tried to hit City on the counter.
Scholes believes Arsenal have not got going in attack in the opening weeks of the season
Arteta’s Arsenal have also been criticised this season for using ‘dark arts’
In the first half at the Etihad Stadium it worked as they came from behind to take a 2-1 lead. But after Leandro Trossard was sent off just before half-time, they spent the entire second half defending their penalty area without really threatening.
The Gunners had just 12.5 percent possession in the second half, with Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber failing to complete a single successful pass in the entire match.
Arsenal were also accused of using ‘dark arts’ to slow down play, with several players having to leave the pitch for treatment, only to get back up and play again shortly afterwards.
It almost paid off as they held on until the 98th minute, when John Stones scored the equaliser in the final minute.
Duo Bernardo Silva and Manuel Akanji criticised Arsenal’s tactics after the standoff, but Arteta defended his team’s approach, insisting it would have been “very stupid” to send his team on the attack when they were down to ten men.
Despite criticism of their approach, Arsenal are still near the top of the table and on paper they now have an easier time as they prepare for games against Leicester, Southampton and Bournemouth in their next three matches.
These matches seem like the perfect opportunity to show the other side of their game, namely that they perform well as an attacking unit and prove their title chances.
Paul Scholes spoke at The Overlap Fan Debate, hosted by Sky Betting
