Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand insists that four teams still in the Champions League would knock out Arsenal before the end of the competition.
The Gunners are having a decent season in the Premier League but look set to finish as runners-up for a third season in a row, as they yet again fail to take the next step under Mikel Arteta.
Premier League leaders Liverpool are currently 13 points ahead of Arsenal – who have a game in hand – and it would take a monumental collapse from the Reds to let the Gunners back into the title race.
Arteta’s side’s last hope of silverware, if they can’t get back into the title race soon, is in the Champions League with Arsenal blowing away PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday.
Arsenal beat the Eredivisie side 7-1 in the Philips Stadion with the Gunners hosting the the Dutch at the Emirates Stadium next week before surely moving into the quarter-finals.
But former Man Utd defender Ferdinand reckons Arsenal are the fifth-best side left in the Champions League and has named the four teams who would knock out the Gunners if they faced them.
Ferdinand said: “I think they’re probably the fifth-best team in the Champions League on that side of the draw. I’m not even talking about the whole competition, on that side of the draw.
“They’re behind Liverpool, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Arsenal are the fifth-best team on that side of the draw. That’s mad.
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“They’ve gone further away from where they were last year. They’ve gone backwards, I do believe that. The recruitment needs to be shifted a little bit.
“You can’t have a CDM [Mikel Merino] playing up front when you’re trying to win the Premier League and Champions League. They had an opportunity in January [to sign a new striker] but there wasn’t loads available.
“I definitely would have made a beeline for a centre-forward, 100%. Kai Havertz has done an okay job but you need an out-and-out No. 9, surely.”
TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher reckons Arsenal – who have suffered from a lot of crucial injuries in attacking positions in recent weeks – are “miles off” in their quest to win the Champions League.
When asked whether he thought Arsenal could triumph in Europe, Fletcher added: “I think they’re miles off. You just said they’re fifth in the half of the draw they’re in.
“You then look at Barcelona and Bayern Munich on the other side of the draw. You can’t win it from there.
“I think they’re miles off winning a Premier League, never mind the Champions League. I think they’ve gone backwards. I don’t see it.”