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Football Insider

Arsenal Fans Urged to Temper Expectations as Pressure Mounts: Insights from Patrice Evra and Paul Scholes

Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has highlighted the issue of Arsenal fans prematurely celebrating title victories, contributing to the team's previous shortcomings. Meanwhile, Paul Scholes emphasizes the importance of Arsenal's performance in key matches for their title aspirations.

Arsenal Fans Urged to Temper Expectations as Pressure Mounts: Insights from Patrice Evra and Paul Scholes

The Gunners have come agonisingly close to landing the Premier League in the last three years and Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has pointed the finger of blame at the fans for boasting about winning the title too early in the season. The Gunners have finished second three times on the bounce, but the fans have been starting to crow again with boss Mikel Arteta’s side at the top of the table, and Evra has a message for them. It’s been a story of what might have been for Arsenal over the previous three seasons, mounting strong Premier League title challenges but ultimately finishing as runners-up on each occasion under Arteta. In the 2022-23 season, Arsenal held a substantial lead for much of the campaign, but a late dip in form allowed Man City to overtake them and lose the title by five points. The 2023-24 season saw an even closer title race, going down to the final day. Arsenal amassed 89 points, their second-highest ever Premier League tally, but still finished second, a mere two points behind champions City. And most recently, the 2024-25 season saw another second-place finish, this time behind Liverpool, who secured the title by a margin of ten points after Arsenal could only manage 74 points. This makes Arsenal the first team to finish as runners-up three seasons in a row in the Premier League era.  And while the Gunners have sat at the top of the table for the vast majority of this season, their lead has been significantly reduced after dropping points in recent matches to Sunderland, Chelsea and Aston Villa and Evra has issued a word of warning for the fans. United legend Evra told Stake: "I don't know if Arsenal can handle the pressure. I always loved Arteta as a player and I know he’s a great manager. But at the end of the day, Arsenal fans are the problem. They are the ones every time saying, 'this year we're going to win'. They need to chill. It’s the same when England fans say 'it’s coming home'."  He added: "They just have to chill, to not be too noisy because that's why they get that banter and this backlash because they’ll say they are the best team in the world and better than this team and so on. But we never know, if they bottle the league again this year, imagine them winning the Champions League? Anything can happen with Arsenal. But I just feel like the winning mindset is missing at Arsenal."Another Old Trafford hero, Paul Scholes, believes Arsenal’s title bid will falter once again unless Arteta finds a way to improve his team's record in the Premier League’s biggest fixtures. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes said: "Until they start winning big games they’ve got no chance of winning the league," he said. "They lost to Liverpool, they couldn’t beat Man City at home when they were struggling. Aston Villa are a good team, don’t get me wrong, but Arsenal just can’t win big games. They couldn’t beat Chelsea after they went down to ten men. If you’re going to win the league you’ve got to start winning some big games, you’ve got to beat your rivals, and they can’t do it. Historically Man City always get better after January. They were in the Club World Cup so they didn’t really have a pre-season."  Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingArsenal are in action in Europe on Wednesday evening, away in Belgium to face Club Brugge, but will be hoping to get back to winning ways at the weekend with a Premier League clash against bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers. And it’s a good time to be playing Wolves, who remain winless in all 15 Premier League games this season, with only QPR in 2012-13  with 16 games and Sheffield United in 2020-21 with an incredible 17 games having longer runs from the start of a campaign.   

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Arsenal's Near-Misses in Recent Premier League Campaigns

Arsenal has been on the cusp of Premier League glory in recent seasons, consistently finishing as runners-up under manager Mikel Arteta. However, despite strong challenges, they have fallen short in the final stretch, including a heart-wrenching loss to Manchester City by a slim margin of five points and a subsequent narrow miss by just two points in the following season.

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The Current Season and Fan Expectations

This season, Arsenal enjoyed a strong lead at the top of the table but have faltered in recent matches, leading to a reduction in their advantage. Patrice Evra has pointed out the overly optimistic boasting from fans as a potential hindrance, echoing concerns about the team's ability to handle pressure effectively.

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Insights from Patrice Evra and Paul Scholes

Both Evra and Scholes emphasize the need for Arsenal to excel in significant matches against top opponents to sustain a genuine title challenge. They highlight the team's struggles against key rivals and underscore the importance of a winning mentality, suggesting that improvements in these areas are essential for Arsenal's ultimate success.

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Upcoming Fixtures and Challenges

As Arsenal gear up to face Club Brugge in Europe before a pivotal league clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the pressure is on Arteta's side to regain momentum and deliver consistent results. With Wolves enduring a challenging season, the match presents an opportunity for Arsenal to bounce back and reaffirm their title credentials.

Published on Dec 10, 2025