Wayne Rooney believes this season may prove decisive for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, insisting the Spaniard will be “expected” to finally deliver silverware.
Speaking on his new podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England and Manchester United striker said Arteta has been backed heavily in the transfer market and is now under pressure to turn investment into trophies.
“Maybe not for Arsenal, but I think for Arteta, possibly,” Rooney said when asked if it was now or never for the Gunners. “They’ve allowed him to bring in a lot of players and spend a lot of money. I imagine the board and certainly the fans will be expecting him to win the league. So I think it could be a big year for him.”
Arsenal’s title credentials suffered a setback on Sunday as they were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool at Anfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a spectacular free-kick to seal the points.
Despite Arsenal’s progress under Arteta, Rooney tipped Liverpool to remain favourites for the Premier League crown this season.
“[Liverpool] are a very good team,” he said. “They’ve got the know-how and the experience of winning the league twice over the last few years. It’s a sign of a top side when you’re able to keep grinding out results.”
Rooney also criticised Arsenal’s cautious approach against Jürgen Klopp’s side, suggesting they missed an opportunity to make a statement.
“If they were just a little bit braver and actually took the game more to Liverpool, I think they could have gone and won it,” he argued. “That’s a real chance missed for Arsenal today. But Liverpool did what champions do, they stayed in the game and took their moment.”
The defeat leaves Arsenal still searching for consistency at the top end of the table, while Arteta faces growing scrutiny to turn progress into silverware in what Rooney describes as a “make-or-break” campaign.
