Former Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant has revealed that the Gunners will fail to maintain the momentum for the title race when the Premier League returns after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Recall that Arsenal are still top of the league table after 10 matches.
During an appearance on talkSPORT, Pennant said: “I think that Arsenal, after Christmas, will cookie crumble like they did the year before to drop out of the Champions League spots.
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“I’m gonna get criticised and battered by Arsenal fans being an ex-Gooner!”
He added: “What [Mikel] Arteta has done at Arsenal, where they were two, three seasons ago and what they are doing now, is absolutely amazing.
“We are giving Arsenal a lot of praise about where they are going and how they have conducted themselves in the first ten games. But it is all about will they maintain that, will they continue that after Christmas?
“We have seen a lot of teams come flying out the blocks and then as soon as the Christmas period comes and the games come thick and fast, they slip over easily.”
Personal life
In February 2004, Pennant was given a 16-month driving ban after being caught drink-driving in Paddington, West London. On 23 January 2005, he was arrested and again charged with drink-driving, and driving while uninsured, after crashing his Mercedes into a lamp-post in Aylesbury while still serving the ban for the first offence.
During questioning, Pennant initially identified himself as his friend Ashley Cole. Pennant pleaded guilty to drink-driving and driving while disqualified, and was sentenced to 90 days in prison on 1 March. He was released on parole after 30 days and immediately returned to playing for Birmingham City, although he had to wear an electronic tag at all times, including while on the pitch. It emerged during the trial that he was illiterate.
