Mark Lawrenson has made a claim about Arsenal’s squad and the fans

Follow us on Google Discover

Writing in his BBC Sport column, Mark Lawrenson has claimed that Arsenal’s players will not receive any sympathy from the Emirates faithful this weekend if they fail to secure a top-four spot.

The mood around Arsenal has completely changed this week after a loss to Newcastle United crushed the Gunners’ dreams of playing in the Champions League next season.

All year long there’s been a feeling of unity at Arsenal as the fanbase have gotten behind this exciting young outfit, but a poor end to the season may have soured things in Lawrenson’s opinion.

The pundit says that the Arsenal fanbase will place the blame squarely on the players’ shoulders, and he doesn’t expect much sympathy to be shown this weekend.

Lawrenson’s view

Lawrenson wrote about Arsenal and the fanbase.

“Given the position they were in a few weeks ago, Mikel Arteta’s side should already have secured a spot in next season’s Champions League, but they have been so bad that it is not even in their hands with a game to go,” Lawrenson wrote.

“That must hurt, especially because they had another blip just before that and it appeared they had recovered.

“Arsenal were outplayed by Newcastle when they lost at St James’ Park on Monday but, overall, I don’t think it is a question of them lacking quality – they just don’t have enough leaders to step up when it matters.

“I don’t think the Arsenal players will get too much sympathy from their fans, either. The mood at the ground will probably be along the lines of ‘you have messed this up, there is no-one else to blame’.”

Soured

This was shaping up to be a truly memorable and remarkable season for Arsenal, but two poor results have completely changed the outlook around the Emirates.

Football is a fickle game, and as Lawrenson says, Arsenal supporters are not happy.

The Gunners’ final lap of honour may well be a lap of shame after the Everton game on Sunday, but, of course, that could all change if the unthinkable happens and Norwich City manage to get a win against Tottenham Hotspur.

The fans should get behind the team for the 90 minutes, but if Arsenal are in fifth by the time the final whistle blows, they have every right to voice their displeasure.