Arsenal legend Alan Smith thinks Arsenal may struggle to get into the top-four again this season.
The Gunners are in fifth place after four wins in their first nine games but a disappointing 1-0 away defeat to Sheffield United on Monday has left Smith feeling less than optimistic about his former team's chances.
The Sky Sports pundit compared Arsenal's situation to that of Chelsea’s and outlined what Unai Emery has to do to get better performances out of his players.
He explained: “They are going to have to sort themselves out and get some results because the opening is there.”
“Chelsea under Frank Lampard have sorted themselves out, he's getting his ideas across.
“I know it's a different situation but you've got a new manager there who has adopted a style of play he likes, but you just can't see that with Emery.
“You look at the table and Arsenal are still in a good position, and with the way Spurs and Manchester United are, it's a great chance to finish in the top four.
“If they don't this season, then there are a lot of questions to answer and you'd imagine he wouldn't be around next season.”
Smith also believes that the defensive side of Arsenal’s game has to improve quickly.
He added: “It boils down to the fact they just concede far too many chances to the opposition.
“When they haven't got the ball, they look at sixes and sevens at times.
“Hopefully, they can become a little more resilient and stop giving the opposition encouragement.
“It's that ability to shut the opposition out - they've got to try to introduce that to their game.”
“The shots conceded on goal, the number of chances, it's just too much. The number of goals they conceded away from home last year was just too high and I don't think that's going to change this year.
“That's worrying - the fact Emery is unable to make a difference.”
