Wayne Rooney has said this season could be “now or never” for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, warning that the Spaniard will be “expected” to deliver silverware.
Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on Sunday, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a stunning free-kick to seal the win at Anfield.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England and Manchester United forward said the pressure is now firmly on Arteta.
“Maybe not for Arsenal, but I think for Arteta, possibly,” said Rooney. “I think they’ve allowed him to bring a lot of players in, spend a lot of money. I imagine the board and certainly the fans will be expecting him to win the league. So I think it could be a big year for him.”
Despite Arsenal’s strong recent performances, Rooney believes Liverpool remain the favourites to win the Premier League this season.
“[Liverpool] are a very good team,” he said. “They’ve got the know-how and the knowledge of winning the league twice over the last few years. It’s a sign of a good team when you’re winning games.”
Rooney also criticised Arsenal’s approach at Anfield, saying the team lacked courage in a match he believes they could have won.
“If they were just a little bit braver and went and actually took the game a bit more to Liverpool, I think they can go and win that,” he said. “I think that’s a real chance missed for Arsenal today. But then I think Liverpool have done what champions do, they stayed in the game.”
