Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has criticised the Gunners’ current defence, suggesting that they need an entirely new backline.
Unai Emery’s side put in a shambolic display as they crumbled in the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening, leaving them five points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.
Parlour pulled no punches in his assessment of his former club’s shortcomings.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “We all know the problem.
“Defensively, they’re just not good enough. They’re all over the place at the back. They’ll always give you a chance.
“I couldn’t see Arsenal winning. I couldn’t see them getting a point.
“I’ve played with so many good defenders at Arsenal. We had the famous back four: [Nigel] Winterburn, [Lee] Dixon, [Tony] Adams, [Steve] Bould, [Martin] Keown. Then you had Sol Campbell coming in, as well as Lauren and Ashley Cole.
“They’ve got to look at all four positions at the back. If you’re going to concede goals like that, you’re never going to have any chance of trying to win the league.”
Arsenal’s next fixture is against Fulham at the Emirates on New Year’s Day.
OPINION
In fairness to Unai Emery, his side have had a terrible run of luck with regards to defensive injuries recently. Not only has this limited the Spaniard’s immediate selection options, but it has stopped him from settling on a backline that can develop any kind of relationship and gain any kind of consistency or momentum. That being said, the manner in which they capitulated against the league leaders on Saturday was nothing short of embarrassing, and no club with ambitions of Champions League football can realistically expect to achieve their aspirations if they play like that. There’s no shame in being beaten by Liverpool, but the last thing they need is encouragement or assistance, and the Gunners pretty much rolled over right in front of them. If Emery is serious about building a legacy and escaping the stagnation that infected the latter years of Arsene Wenger’s tenure, he must find a solution to his defensive woes as quickly as possible.