Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta left Paul Merson ‘flabbergasted’ with an analysis of Chelsea at the weekend.
The Gunners beat the Blues – their London rivals – 1-0 in Premier League action, with Mikel Merino heading in the only goal of the game from a corner in the first half of the fixture.
It meant Arteta’s side kept up their record of having the best defensive record in the division too, conceding just 24 goals from their 29 games so far – three fewer than Liverpool, who have conceded the second fewest.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have impressed in front of goal this season, but struggled in recent weeks, with Nicolas Jackson out injured and talisman Cole Palmer also missing the fixture with a muscle issue.
That didn’t stop Arteta from heaping praise on his side’s rivals, however, as he branded them ‘the best attacking team in the league by a mile’.
Merson, however, was left stunned by the Spaniard’s analysis, and didn’t mince his words when giving his own views on the side he supports on Sky Sports.
‘I don’t know what I’m missing,’ Merson, who made his name as a player lining up for Arsenal, said. ‘When Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer are playing, they’re a good team. They bring the best out of each other.
‘Palmer’s a better player when Jackson’s playing and Jackson’s a better player when Palmer’s playing. That is fact.
‘But I’m flabbergasted by that quote. I honestly don’t get that. There will be a lot of Chelsea fans reading that thinking, “Wow, what is he talking about?”
‘Is Arteta saying that because Chelsea have spent £1.6bn yet haven’t got a forward and can’t score a goal and fans are moaning at him because Arsenal don’t have a forward?
‘Unless Cole Palmer plays, I don’t think Chelsea score goals. Chelsea are the best attacking team? They scored one goal against Leicester to win 1-0. Leicester, in their previous 20 matches, had only failed once to let in two or more goals in a Premier League game.
‘I’m not buying into that one. I’m not buying in.’
Arteta had added: ‘The stats say it, everything I’ve seen says it in open play. They can open you, they can run in transitions, they have individual quality, any player in the defensive line can threaten inside.
‘They can combine on both sides, their weaker sides, they are missing some big players at the moment.’
The Blues have netted four goals in their last four games, with one against Leicester and two against Copenhagen in the Conference League.
They have fallen well out of the running to win the Premier League – where many thought they would be earlier in the season – and now face a fight to hold onto their top-five spot.
Enzo Maresca’s men have, however, scored 53 league goals this season – bettered by only Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City and level with the Gunners.