But Rio’s damming verdict is: Stars will leave the Emirates
RIO FERDINAND has issued a damning assessment of the current Arsenal team, insisting they are mentally weak and that their tolerance of failure means Alexis Sanchez will leave the club just like Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas before him.
The former England captain believes the culture of being satisfied with a top-four finish in the Premier League is communicated clearly by the owner and directors when they continually hand Arsene Wenger new contracts.
After a week when Wenger’s future came under scrutiny again, with the 67-year-old deliberating over whether to commit for another two seasons after 21 years at the club, Ferdinand predicted Arsenal will ask him to stay despite 13 years without winning the title.
Ferdinand, who won the Premier League six times with Manchester United, as well as the Champions League, said: ‘The club have got a remit and that is to finish in the top four. That is what the last 10 years have told you. They finish in the top four and he gets a new contract.
‘So, the priority of the people that run Arsenal is to finish in the top four and not necessarily winning. They’ll be happy. History tells you that.’
And Ferdinand believes it is inevitable that world-class players such as Sanchez, whose contract runs out in 2018, will leave in search of trophies.
Ferdinand said: ‘Robin van Persie left Arsenal to go somewhere to win. And he came to Manchester United. It’s as simple as that. Tells you everything. Cesc Fabregas did the same. The best players in the world want to win things. It isn’t about money.’
Ferdinand, now a BT Sport analyst, says he only wishes the Arsenal teams he faced, which included Patrick Vieira, Martin Keown, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, could have been so easy to dominate as the current Arsenal side.
He said: ‘In the days of United and Arsenal’s rivalry, they were unbelievable games. When we went to Highbury and then we went to the Emirates, you would have to fight.
‘You would have to win the fight first and then you could play your football.
‘But it was never a given that you were going to go there and win. It wasn’t until about 2008 that we’d go there and our team talk would revolve around: out-run them; overpower them; they don’t want their feathers ruffled; they don’t like it if you’re aggressive.
‘And that’s the way we played against them. We could adapt. We could be like that or we could play football. And that’s one of the things this Arsenal team lack in the last few years. The best teams are adaptable to each and every environment and each and every team you play.’
Ferdinand believes the 2009 Champions League semi-final against United was a turning point for the Gunners. United won 1-0 at Old Trafford and were hugely superior at the Emirates, winning 3-1. ‘We overpowered them,’ he said.
‘If you look at that side we destroyed, would we have been so confident against their previous teams? I don’t think so.
‘This team is no different to the one six years ago in terms of mentality.
‘They’re in a good position to strike and really make a go of it in the league and they have a week or two off.
‘The reason I get the hump with Arsenal is that they frustrate the life out of me. They’ve got so much talent but it’s never channelled the right way. It’s never consistently put out there. That’s their problem.’
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