Martin Keown believes it has been a 'nightmare behind the scenes' at Arsenal this season as the club bid to finally recapture the Premier League. The Gunners have twice finished second to Manchester City in the division in the last two seasons, and while Pep Guardiola's side are off the pace so far in 2024/25, Arsenal still do not find themselves top of the table. Liverpool have enjoyed an impressive start to the season under Arne Slot, and lost just once in their opening 18 games.
The north London side prevailed 3-1 over Brentford to cut the gap to the Reds to six points on New Year's Day. Arsenal have played a game more however. Ex-Gunners defender Keown believes Mikel Arteta having to operate with injuries to key players such as Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka has contributed to a difficult time behind the scenes. And rhe TNT Sports pundit said the north London side require greater consistency.
Keown, who made 447 appearances for Arsenal, believes his former team must be better if they want to lift silverware. The 58-year-old conceded the Gunners weren't too far off the pace however. "It has been a tricky start to this season with ill-discipline, injuries, Odegaard was a big one and now Saka," Keown said ahead of Arsenal's match with Brentford. "It has been a nightmare behind the scenes.
