Rio Ferdinand has had his say on Arsenal getting into the Champions League and then potentially crashing out of the group stages next season.
The Gunners are currently fourth in the Premier League table, one point ahead of Manchester United. The Gunners also have three games in hand over Ralf Rangnick’s men, making them the absolute favourites to get into the Champions League next season.
Arsenal haven’t been a part of Europe’s most prestigious tournament since 2016. They have tried every single year but have failed, the worst being last season when they finished eighth and dropped out of Europe altogether.
Arsenal have improved massively now and fans truly believe they’ll get back into the Champions League next season.
Rio Ferdinand: Arsenal fans will turn on Mikel Arteta if they crash out of CL group stages
Ferdinand and his two co-hosts discussed the weekend’s games on his Vibe with FIVE podcast on YouTube yesterday.
When Joel Beya claimed that Arsenal fans will be happy to just see their side in the group stages of the Champions League after so many years out of the competition, Ferdinand immediately disagreed.
The Manchester United legend said: “Don’t lie. All your fans, Arsenal fans, we know.
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“The hype will be real around expectations. You’ll be hyping it up, expectations through the roof. If you went out in the group stages, ‘Mikel Arteta out,’ I’ll be hearing that. You heard that here first!
TBR View:
Arsenal fans are a happy bunch these days and just getting into the Champions League next season after the way they started this campaign should be viewed as a massive positive.
However, we all know what Arsenal fans are like on social media. Every defeat is a crisis and the mood in and around the Emirates could flip in a matter of a few minutes.
If that remains the case next season, it won’t be a surprise to see the ‘Arteta out’ chants come out again.
However, the Spaniard deserves a lot of credit for taking this Arsenal side from where they were to the position they are in now. Getting past the group stages will be the priority if the Gunners do make it into the Champions League next season, but even if they don’t, it’s not the end of the world.
