Being compared to one of Man United’s greatest-ever teams is perhaps one of the biggest compliments any English football club could receive.
But some anxious Arsenal fans have accused Jamie Carragher of underhand tactics after he suggested Mikel Arteta’s side could ‘go one better’ than United’s 1999 Treble winners.
Writing in The Telegraph on Friday, Carragher said it was ‘no longer a question of if Arsenal will win a trophy this campaign, but how many’ as he tipped them for a potential quadruple.
With the Gunners gearing up to host a rejuvenated United on Sunday, victory will keep them seven points clear of Man City, or perhaps 10 if Pep Guardiola’s stuttering side lose yet more ground.
Arsenal have also won seven from as many games in the Champions League, have one-foot in the Carabao Cup final and should breeze past Wigan Athletic to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.
And while some discussions have been raised over whether this Arsenal team could even beat United’s 2007-08 team – Wayne Rooney said they would ‘batter’ the current Gunners – Carragher believes Mikel Arteta’s men should be held in even higher conversation.
Jamie Carragher has said Arsenal could ‘go one further’ than Man United’s Treble winners
United won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in that famous 1999 campaign
‘I recently watched a documentary about United’s treble, and what stood out was that few believed winning the three major trophies was possible halfway through that campaign. Arsenal are in a far stronger position right now – and have fewer obstacles in their way – than United in January 1999,’ the former Liverpool defender wrote in the newspaper.
He added: ‘Predicting a quadruple challenge is not intended to increase the pressure on Arsenal. They are dealing with enough expectation trying to end a 22-year wait to be English champions and nothing can be said or written to change the fact that the prize they crave is within their grasp.
‘But now Arsenal deserve to be tipped to win every competition they are in – or at the very least add at least one cup – based on their form and the difficulties of those trying to stop them.’
While Carragher loaded in some caveats about not intending to increase pressure on Arsenal – who have not won a trophy since the 2019-20 FA Cup – fans believe the former Liverpool man is setting them up to fail.
One wrote on X: ‘This is a jinx of an article. This JC waffle is so that he can write in the future that Arsenal lacked the mentality to go all the way if they lose.’
Another said: ‘Carragher up to his tricks….I detest his duplicity….’
A third wrote: ‘Again, this is what him and Gary Neville do. They drive narratives so now if Arsenal win just one trophy, they can label them bottlers for that.’
A fourth added: ‘[Carragher] knows what he’s doing. Just take it one game at a time, don’t listen to the gaslighters. Too many pundits trying to heap pressure to set us up to fail.’
A fifth said: ‘Carragher doing the reverse psychology thing. We see you.’
Others pointed to his column in The Telegraph last January, where the former England international wrote that Arteta’s time at Arsenal may have already past its peak.
Arsenal are seven points clear at the top of the Premier League and are in all other competitions
Another wrote: ‘The Quadruple talk in January is always so silly. Arsenal are in a strong position in the league, but that’s about it. League Cup is still 50/50, FA Cup we’re only at the fourth round stage and CL knockouts haven’t even begun yet!’
A fan added: ‘Liverpool are very lucky to have Jamie. He’s absolutely genius at this.’
Carragher also said in November that the only team capable of stopping Arsenal from winning the league was themselves as he questioned whether they had the mentality for it.
‘The only team that can stop Arsenal winning the league is Arsenal; they are the best team. They are the best squad,’ he said on Sky Sports at the time.
‘The only thing that can stop them is their own heads, their own mentality. Maybe this crowd getting nervous in March and April, if the league is still up for grabs by then.
‘This would be the one. If they didn’t win it, I think we’d all point the finger at them and say, “You threw this away”. I don’t think that’s ever been the case before. I always think the case has been that there has been a team slightly better than them in the Premier League, but that is definitely not the case this season.’
