Arsenal legend Ray Parlour says the Gunners still have a chance to make the top four of the Premier League, but must take seven points from three really tough games coming up.
Mikel Arteta’s side had a really bad few days last week, losing to on Monday night and Brighton on Saturday, really damaging their chances of qualifying for the .
The fight is not over as they sit fifth, three points behind Tottenham in fourth and with a game in hand, although with a significantly worse goal difference.
Parlour is trying to look at the positives and feels his former side are still in a decent position, but says they really need to rise to the occasion when they face , and West Ham on the spin from 20 April to 1 May.
The former England midfielder thinks Arsenal need to get seven points from those three games to keep their top four hopes alive, and he admits Spurs are in the box seat at the moment.
‘It’s been a bad week for and being an Arsenal fan,’ Parlour told talkSPORT. ‘But look, they’ve got a chance. Look at the table, they’ve got a game in hand.
‘Goal difference is going against them because Spurs are doing so well.
‘You’ve just got to believe in yourself. As a player you’ve got to sit in that dressing room and say, “Come on lads, we’ve still got a great chance, we’re in a great position, let’s give it everything we’ve got till the end of the season and see what happens.”
‘Whether they’re good enough, I don’t know, we’ll see what happens.
‘They’ve got Chelsea coming up, some big, big games. I think that week where they’ve got Chelsea, Man United and West Ham, they’ve got to probably get seven points out of those games probably, to give them a chance.
‘Whether that’s going to happen, we’ll wait and see.
‘Tottenham have got Brighton next, Brentford, Leicester then Liverpool.
‘They’re in pole position now. They’re probably massive odds-on favourite to get fourth place. That’s what it is.’
Tottenham have been in contrasting form to Arsenal over their last two games, thumping Newcastle 5-1 and Aston Villa 4-0 to see them surge above the Gunners.
The north London rivals are still to meet on Tottenham’s home turf in May, which could still be the crucial contest in the race for the top four.
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