Radio pundit Simon Jordan can see both sides in the debate around Arsenal's season after the Premier League title race was blown apart on Sunday.
The Gunners dropped points for the second game in a row, squandering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with relegation-threatened West Ham United. Mikel Arteta's men blew a 2-0 advantage against Liverpool the weekend before and Manchester City capitalised on both results to move to within four points of the Gunners with a game-in-hand.
Both sides play each other on April 26 in a mouth-watering clash that could decide the outcome of the Premier League title race. Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard put Arsenal 2-0 up inside ten minutes at West Ham but Said Benrahma got his side back into the game from the penalty spot before Bukayo Saka blew a chance of his own from 12 yards to restore a two-goal advantage for the visitors.
He blazed wide, though, and Jarrod Bowen equalised for the Hammers to put a serious dent in Arsenal's title challenge. Debate has raged among pundits over what would constitute a successful season for Arsenal.
On Sky Sports, Roy Keane thinks anything other than a title win would be a failure while Gary Neville reckons second place would still be something to celebrate given how far they have come under Arteta. Jordan, meanwhile, thinks both arguments hold water.
"Gary is correct, if you look at it in isolation and say to Arsenal 'would you have taken finishing second in the league at the beginning of the season' most of their fans would have gone 'oh yes' and so probably would have Arteta," Jordan said on talkSPORT. "But the circumstances are as they are now, you saw them get beat by Man City at the Emirates and ultimately get outclassed in the second half and have seen them bounce back.
"There is merit in both arguments, Roy will play that card all the time in terms of winning being the outcome you expect. "But also if you take out of that character and look at the exponential growth and the development of Arsenal and the side that they are against Man City - the finished article.
"With that in mind, I don't think there is anything Arsenal can take away from this season other than a great sense of encouragement and pride. Is it theirs to win? Of course it is. Will it demolish the football club and send them spiralling into an orbit? No.
"If you had been top of the League whoever you are, you would be disappointed if you do not win it. "The challenge is for Arsenal to react to the circumstances."
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