The former England defender has said the Gunners need to find a backbone if they are to compete on the European stage.
Rio Ferdinand
Writing in the London Evening Standard, Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Arsenal have never been as far away from winning the Champions League as they are this season.
The 37-year-old centre-half turned pundit has explained how Arsene Wenger’s failure to replace the solid spine of a decade ago is set to hamper Arsenal’s chances in Europe.
“There is no one in this side that can match players such as Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry,” Ferdinand said. “Those were guys that had big personalities and were men when they went into the changing room.”
Ferdinand feels Arsenal have never replaced the likes of Patrick Vieira (R)
“They demanded the highest standards off each other and I just don’t see that in the Arsenal team at the moment,” he added.
It is a familiar complaint in relation to Arsenal, as their lack of a bruising centre-half in the Sol Campbell mode or a Vieira-esque all-action midfielder is often held up as explanation for faltering title challenges or premature European exits.
Wenger will hope that the big-money signing of German international defender Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia can add a physical presence as well as European nous to his back four, but there is a sense that they are still lacking a midfield enforcer to take control of games.
Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi (R)
Arsenal begin their Champions League campaign with a tough trip to PSG, and though Ferdinand expects Wenger’s side to progress in the group he feels they will be “put under a lot of pressure” if they slip to defeat in the Parc des Princes.
The opening game in the French capital is crucial for the Gunners, who will be striving to top the group in order to ensure – in theory – an easier knockout game in the round of 16.
Arsene Wenger will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last season’s Champions League opener
Gunners fans will be hoping their side have learned their lesson from last season, when an away defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in the first group match followed by a home reverse against Olympiakos gave them an uphill task to even qualify from the group. They did manage to progress but only in second place, for which they were rewarded with a knockout tie against Barcelona.
To avoid a similar fate this time around, avoiding defeat in Paris would be a psychological boost for Arsenal and perhaps provide a sign that they can put in the steely performances that pundits such as Ferdinand are calling for.
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