William Saliba ‘myth’ debunked by Carra as post-World Cup stats show ‘completely different’ Arsenal

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14 July 2024, 04:15 yayınlandı

Jamie Carragher has debunked the William Saliba “myth”, pointing out the statistics which show Arsenal’s defensive woes started before the Frenchman’s injury.

Saliba has missed Arsenal’s last nine games with a back injury, with his absence coinciding with the Gunners’ collapse in the Premier League title race.

Many, , have claimed Saliba’s injury is the key to Manchester City getting the better of Mikel Arteta’s side in the Premier League run-in.

“As soon as he came out of the team, that’s when Arsenal’s title challenge came to an end and they started conceding goals left, right and centre,” Merson said.

“Until then they looked so solid. And he was a big part of that. The difference in Arsenal without him proves how important he has been.”

But Carragher has debunked the “myth” of Saliba’s importance to Arsenal, claiming their demise began while the 22-year-old was still in the team.

“After the World Cup, still with William Saliba in the team… [they played] 13 games and conceded 14,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

“Not the end of the world, but they went from the best in the league [before the World Cup] to 10th. That is a massive drop-off.

“The clean sheets dropped. The amount of times they conceded 2+ goals [after the World Cup with William Saliba in the team], 12th in the league.

“Five times in 13 games, even with William Saliba, they conceded 2+ goals. That tells you what after the World Cup, they were completely different defensively.

“Without William Saliba they drop even further… But this idea that they weren’t conceding goals or looking vulnerable with William Saliba at centre-back is a myth.”

The Gunners, eight points clear at the top of the table earlier in the campaign, were .

The result means Manchester City are closing in on the top-flight trophy and will be crowned champions if Arsenal lost to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and can wrap up the title against Chelsea at the Etihad if the Gunners claim a point or all three.