Arsenal were dealt a huge blow this week as back-to-back defeats saw them eliminated from the Champions League, with their Premier League title challenge also suffering a setback.
Mikel Arteta’s side slipped to a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa, before losing 1-0 against Bayern Munich to leave their chances of trophy glory this season hanging in the balance.
Arsenal were sensational in 2024 before this week, reaching the top of the Premier League after an 11-match unbeaten run, with 10 wins, but their progress completely faltered within the space of a week.
The Gunners will face Wolces tomorrow, and a loss at Molineux would all but end their title hopes. However, former midfielder Granit Xhaka, who left last summer, has now backed his old teammates to recover quickly.
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Granit Xhaka backs Arsenal to bounce back in title race
Xhaka joined Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, and became a Champion under Xabi Alonso. His side progressed to the Europa League semi-finals with a two-legged victory over West Ham, and speaking after the match at the London Stadium last night, Xhaka backed Arsenal to finish strongly this season.
“This is part of the game, I think it was 10 or 11 games unbeaten. When you lose one game, it doesn’t mean you lost everything already,” he stated of Arsenal’s recent form.
“There are six games left in the Premier League, and there is still a big chance to get the Premier League title. I wish them all the best for sure because I am still supporting them, I am still in contact with the staff and players and also still watching the games.”
Xhaka believes Arsenal can go on to win trophies under Mikel Arteta
Whilst Arsenal have made big strides in the last two seasons, competing for major honours, there is the possibility that they end this season without any silverware again, having not won a trophy since 2020.
Some are questioning Arteta as a result, but Xhaka was asked whether Arsenal would be able to eventually win a trophy, and he again backed his old side for success.
“I hope so because the team, the staff and the football club as well deserve to win trophies,” he added.
“They are very close this year as well like it was last year but football is about small details. I hope they can do it this year.”
Arsenal will hope to find their best form for the final run-in, but even if they do not get over the line, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the future.