Arsenal must string together a run of as many as six wins in a row to keep their slender Premier League title hopes alive, according to Paul Merson.
Mikel Arteta's side are nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool after drawing 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and are without a win in their last four top-flight games.
Gabriel Martinelli's second-half strike looked set to close the gap on the summit but Pedro Neto equalised just 10 minutes later to force a share of the spoils.
Arteta admitted his mounting injury crisis - which saw Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice limp off - may be hurting Arsenal's consistency, a sentiment Merson agrees with.
But the pundit also believes there is no longer room for error.
'It's hard. Arsenal have a bullseye on their back, they are a big team,' Merson said on Sky Sports. 'Everybody wants to beat them. Confidence is a bit low at moment. I didn't think it was free flowing today. I thought it was a bit stop-start.
'When your confidence goes, not everybody wants the ball.
'When you watch Arsenal in full flow, everybody's moving. Today, [Thomas] Partey gets it or Rice gets it or [Martin] Odegaard and there's not a lot of options.
'You see from the goal when Odegaard nicks the ball. It's only because of his intelligence and his vision. There was only one pass on and that was out wide.
'He's a clever footballer. He's only good for Arsenal.
'They've got to get on a run. They can reel off five or six wins. They'll have to do that.'
Arteta has rued a 'nightmare' eight-week period that has seen Arsenal slump down the top-flight table and pick up a string of injuries to first-team regulars.
'In perspective, we had a clear intention of how we evolve the team and that is about making pieces in the car more efficient, and better, more unpredictable,' he said.
'But every day have to change something big, engine, tyres, steering wheel, problem after problem. This team has courage and we are very proud of them.
'Now we need to get everyone physically at their best.'
The extent of Saka and Rice's setbacks are not yet clear, potentially raising questions over their availability for England during the upcoming international break.
tkay7512
1
Looking at it as it stands Liverpool have a big upper hand coz even if we lose our game against Man City we will still be 2 points ahead of them,but I don't see us losing that game we can draw or win and open 8 points gap then Arsenal can do what ever they want to do they will never catch Liverpool. And if Liverpool goes on to win the EPL this season then Slot buys the players he wants next season haaai I feel for Man U
viucdelnz
1
good joke
Cohabdensy
1
New bottlers are Arsenal now.
tatbcnopu
1
There is only one team which makes everyone scared of and that's Man City, Arsenal can't win the title even in five years to come
bamadiloty
0
WHY ARTETA NOT BEEN SACK HE IS THE KING OF LONDON NOTHING WILL WON WITH THIS LAZY SLOPPY TEAM
Hypocrite
bamadiloty
1
They will be beating who
Coaadikor
0
WHY ARTETA NOT BEEN SACK HE IS THE KING OF LONDON NOTHING WILL WON WITH THIS LAZY SLOPPY TEAM
fuubilntz
0
agree. forget about title. focus on top4. other teams are also doing well this season
liverpool will soon tasste consucutive defeats, don't be in hurry......
Zohbeimort
0
EPL title race is still very open and still too early to start talking about title race just because a couple of teams dropped a couple of points. pool is yet to face city, Newcastle n spurs. After that we can start speculation but now there is no guarantee come January the top half of the table would still look the same order. City have shown in the past that the title is decided around match upwards. so this noise about arsenal out of the title race should stop.
agree with you but Arteta talks too much about title
Zohbeimort
0
agree. forget about title. focus on top4. other teams are also doing well this season
yozbcimops
0
EPL title race is still very open and still too early to start talking about title race just because a couple of teams dropped a couple of points. pool is yet to face city, Newcastle n spurs. After that we can start speculation but now there is no guarantee come January the top half of the table would still look the same order. City have shown in the past that the title is decided around match upwards. so this noise about arsenal out of the title race should stop.
Liverpool is opening the gap at the top though and it ain't dropping any points now
yozbcimops
1
Let's now stop talking about the tittle race ...it's over,finished,kaputed...so sad 😔 but a reality now for us fans..Arsenal 😢 and Arteta must focus on being in the top 4 now and forget about the League tittle after failing to beat Chelsea.
faoabnz
1
Mersin keep deceiving arsenal
IronBorn
5
EPL title race is still very open and still too early to start talking about title race just because a couple of teams dropped a couple of points. pool is yet to face city, Newcastle n spurs. After that we can start speculation but now there is no guarantee come January the top half of the table would still look the same order. City have shown in the past that the title is decided around match upwards. so this noise about arsenal out of the title race should stop.
rawdelmoty
1
the never win como two games and you are talking about winning five games rubbish arsenal