“I was maybe a bit harsh on Arsenal” – Bacary Sagna changes his top-four prediction for Premier League

Arsenal have finished outside the Premier League's top-four for the last five successive seasons. Champions League football has evaded them in that time and the Gunners have failed to win the Europa League on four occasions. This season, they are not competing in Europe altogether after more than two decades.

However, former Arsenal player Bacary Sagna has been impressed by them this season. He especially praised the the manner in which the Gunners recovered after their abysmal start in the Premier League.

While speaking to bettingexpert, he said:

"I was maybe a bit harsh on Arsenal after the beginning of the season after they lost the first 3 games. Maybe the commitment wasn’t perfect, maybe they had some issues with some of the players having covid, maybe they just needed time because they were all at different stages of fitness, but since then a lot has changed."

Despite having the youngest squad in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta's side have shown great resilience and helped each other as a unit in tough times.

Sagna added:

"I think they have shown some character, they’ve shown some great team spirit. They have the right mentality and they have the right commitment. So yeah, they totally deserve to be where they are today, and honestly, if they keep going that way, playing without any fear in them, keeping the strong basics they have at the minute, I think they have a chance."

The former Arsenal right-back believes the team can be really proud of themselves with their performance in the Premier League loss against Manchester City earlier in 2022.

"To finish in the top 2 is difficult because you have Manchester City and Liverpool, but I believe they have a strong squad. When they played Manchester City, I thought they deserved to win."

He added:

"They played quite well and outplayed City until the red card at least. It shows the quality they have. It shows the quality and mentality now compared to the beginning of the season."

Arsenal are currently placed sixth in the Premier League and have secured 39 points from their 22 matches. They are locked in a four-way race for fourth spot with Manchester United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

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Sagna is all praise for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and his young guns

Mikel Arteta has had to take some tough calls in the last few months. He stripped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the club's captaincy and dropped him from the team altogether due to disciplinary breaches. The Gabon international was eventually shipped off to Barcelona on a free transfer permanently in January. Arteta is keen to establish a new culture at the club, where every player gives him a 100 per cent commitment, passion and stays disciplined.

Bacary Sagna thinks the Spaniard has done a great job by trusting young players like Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli.

"I think Mikel (Arteta) is doing a great job because he gives them confidence and he trusts the players. I think they are giving him the trust back. Hopefully they will manage to get something towards the end of the season."

The Frenchman added:

"They are very young and I thought it would have been a problem for them to deal with the pressure, but it seems like it had the opposite effect. They play without any fear and no one expected them to be successful but they are, and they play freely, full of confidence."

The Arsenal faithful are desperate to see their club reclaim their Premier League royalty once again. There is an air of optimism around the club and fans will hope their team can secure Champions League football come the end of the season.