The anxiety and unrest among Arsenal fans threatens to derail the Gunners’ season, Premier League legends Ian Wright and Danny Murphy have warned.
Having started the season by lifting the Community Shield and producing a dramatic comeback win over Leicester, Arsene Wenger’s side slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Stoke at the weekend.
That loss saw familiar signs of frustration among Arsenal fans re-emerge.
And with a tough game against Liverpool next up, the voices of discontent threaten to become even louder unless the Gunners produce a result at Anfield.
That could be disastrous based on last season’s experiences in which the fans clearly affected performances on the pitch.
‘There’s a feast and famine vibe about Arsenal at the minute,’ former Arsenal striker Wright told Sky Sports. ‘I know it’s only two games in but you just feel there’s something waiting to erupt, that’s how I feel now.
‘If he [Wenger] can just play the players in their right positions, maybe we can get going. But I just feel quite nervous about every single Arsenal game so far, and it frightens me.’
Arsenal 2017/18 fixtures
Huddersfield (A) - Sun May 13
Former Liverpool midfielder Murphy echoed those concerns, suggesting that Arsenal fans were simply ‘waiting’ to express their anger.
‘It’s hard to judge until the window finishes, but as it stands, Liverpool [are in a better place than Arsenal] for me. One of the main reasons is this: playing football at a big club is hard enough, and when the crowd is with you, loving the manager like the do at Liverpool, you get the spring in your step when you go out onto the pitch.
‘I’m not sure Arsenal fans have been turned enough by that FA Cup win last season, I don’t think they’ve turned completely and are saying: “We forgive you, we forgive you!”’
‘They’re waiting, and now they’ve lost at Stoke, if they go to Liverpool and get turned over, does it all start again [the pressure] at the next home game? You know what it’s like playing at a stadium where everything is up for it, compared to thinking: “If we’re not winning after 20 minutes, they’re going to be on us!”’
Arsenal take on Liverpool on Sunday afternoon before the international break.
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