Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has labelled Arsenal a ‘small team’ and played down the north London side’s Premier League title chances after the Hornets ended their FA Cup campaign on Sunday.
Goals from Odion Ighalo and Adlene Guedioura dashed the Gunners’ hopes of becoming the first club since Blackburn Rovers in the 1880s to win the competition three years in a row.
Arsenal suffered their 13th defeat in all competitions this season, three more than last campaign, with at least 10 games left to play, and former Tottenham goalkeeper Gomes believes their supporters’ wait for another Premier League title will go on.
It is the best time to play Arsenal and we came to the match very confident. When you see Arsenal playing against big teams, they look like a small team,’ he told ESPN Brasil.
‘They don’t look like winning a title soon. We knew once we had the ball we’d be able to pass it around since Arsenal gives you too much space. They are not strong defensively.’
Arsenal are third in the league, eight points behind leaders Leicester City, who play Newcastle United on Monday.
They trail Barcelona 2-0 going into the Champions League last-16 second leg in Spain on Wednesday, with pressure mounting on manager Arsene Wenger.
Despite a third straight defeat at the Emirates leaving the locals restless, the Frenchman was deeply angered by speculation over his future, insisting it is ‘becoming a farce’.
Wenger is facing the prospect of a season without silverware, but he came out fighting in the press after exiting the FA Cup saying: ‘What is going on at the moment is very, very difficult to take for the players, but judge us at the end of the season.
‘We have come to the end of a very, very long run in the FA Cup, so it is very sad, but we want now to focus on the next game, which is always a big challenge and you are always in the middle of a drama.
‘It is becoming a farce. We have lost a game. Arsenal has lost games before in history and we will lose again in the future. We will stick together and cope with it and prepare for the next one with complete belief.
‘Supporters stand behind the club and we want to fight until the end of the season for every single game. It is nothing to do with confidence. Of course the team have enough confidence.’
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