As a three-time Premier League and four-time FA Cup winner, few have enjoyed more successful careers than Arsenal legend and Invincible Ray Parlour.
Having played at the very top of the beautiful game for more than a decade, Parlour now operates as a pundit, offering invaluable insight into a whole host of topics within football.
VAVEL had the pleasure of putting a series of questions to Parlour this week, as we look ahead to the conclusion of the Premier League season, as well as reflecting on the final weekend of EFL action.
This interview is brought to you by NetBet Casino. Please gamble responsibly. GamCare offer a free and confidential service for those who may require further support.
-
Man United vs Arsenal
On Sunday, Arsenal face a test away at Old Trafford as they look to take their Premier League title challenge to the final day, when they will host Everton.
While the Red Devils' form leaves a lot to be desired and Arsenal are flying, the Gunners' record at the Theatre of Dreams is underwhelming to say the least.
Arsenal have won there just once since 2006, a 1-0 win back in 2020 - a record which has left some fans worried ahead of Sunday's showdown.
Parlour faced Man United 25 times, winning ten, drawing six and losing just nine of these games. Speaking about how intense the fixture is as a player, he said:
"It’s always intense when you play against Man United. The rivalry is massive and form goes out the window when you face Man Utd. Even though Man Utd come into this game on the back of a big defeat you can never underestimate them at Old Trafford.
"It’s a must-win for Arsenal so some pressure for us, but we are playing so well, we just need to play the same way, with the same energy.
"And Arsenal can win this one. Even though Sir Alex [Ferguson] and Arsène [Wenger] are no longer coaching, there is always a strong rivalry when Arsenal face Man United."
The Old Trafford atmosphere
Part of Arsenal's poor record at Old Trafford is because of the hostile and electric atmosphere there, but Parlour insisted that the Gunners have nothing to fear and spoke glowingly of their chances on Sunday:
"Arsenal are playing so well right now, they just need to keep playing the same way and they can go to Old Trafford and win."
The 51-year-old continued: "The atmosphere at Old Trafford is one Arsenal don’t need to fear, they can go and play their own style of play and they can do very well. Defensively Arsenal are having a great season so they can continue to be strong in their approach and then be on the front foot offensively."
The title race
Ahead of Arsenal's trip to Old Trafford on Sunday, the Gunners currently lie two points shy of Man City, who will soon have a game in hand over Arsenal.
This means that Mikel Arteta's side, regardless of their result against Man United, are reliant on a slip-up from Pep Guardiola's formidable Man City side, and even then there is a chance that goal difference could deny Arsenal.
Speaking about whether it feels inevitable that Man City will clinch the title, Parlour said:
"Fulham away, Spurs [Tottenham] away and West Ham at home are what’s up next for City. Fulham are secure with Premier League status, but Arsenal lost at Fulham and they can cause Man City problems. [Bernd] Leno needs to have a worldie of a game, but you do fancy City.
"Spurs away has been difficult for City in the past, but Spurs aren’t in good form right now. Spurs need to be in with a shot of Champions League [qualification] and they can give City a game, but City know a win is achievable.
"Finally West Ham at home, Moyes' last game, you can’t see them [Man City] not winning this one."
Managerial pressure
While the likes of Arteta and Guardiola are thriving and seemingly untouchable given their current performances at their respective clubs, not all Premier League managers are being afforded the same job security.
Chelsea's Mauricio Pochettino and Man United's Erik ten Hag are two managers who are coming under increasing pressure as the season nears its conclusion.
With Chelsea and Man United currently seventh and eighth respectively, though not respectably, in the Premier League, the threat of no European football next season is among the reasons that rumours over both managers' futures persist.
Having played under Arsène Wenger for several years, Parlour knows a good manager when he sees one, and was quick to jump to Pochettino's defence:
"Pochettino is working with a young squad and they are ending the season well. [Cole] Palmer has been superb, I see him in the England squad and Pochettino can build a team with Palmer centre to this.
"I see him being at Chelsea next season."
The same vote of confidence was not, however, afforded to ten Hag, with Parlour suggesting that a change may be needed under the new INEOS co-ownership:
"For Ten Hag it’s up to the owners and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. I am sure they will review this at the end of the season."
Do Arsenal still need a striker?
It has been reported for months that Arsenal will pursue the signing of a striker this summer, but recent performances from Kai Havertz have made some question whether a striker is still a necessary signing.
The German has scored 12 goals in the Premier League so far this season, but Parlour suggested that Arsenal may still need to sign a new centre-forward in the transfer window:
"Kai Havertz has proved all the doubters wrong. He has been a good signing for Arsenal and is so versatile, he does really well for the team. He works so hard and links up so well with the attacking players.
"He is a threat at set pieces, he has been great in the air, he is difficult to pick up and has a great work ethic to do well for the team. He has been scoring goals and assisting so is such a good all-round player.
"I still think Arsenal may look to buy a striker to benefit the squad as in our era we had 4 top strikers in [Thierry] Henry, [Dennis] Bergkamp, [Nwankwo] Kanu and [Sylvain] Wiltord."
The return of Jurrien Timber
Arsenal fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of summer signing Jurrien Timber, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
The Dutch defender has played multiple games for Arsenal's U21 side as he steps up his return, but when talking about the need to carefully manage his return, Parlour could not stress the importance enough:
"It’s so important [managing his return]. With the squad fully fit, it makes sense to have Timber ready for the start of next season now. He will be raring to go, can have a good pre-season and be ready.
"It’s been a massive shame he has been out all season, but he will be ready to be stronger next season. I don’t see him appearing over the next two games, Arsenal will look to manage this as you don’t want him to not be ready for the start of next season."
The rise of Hull City
The final year of Parlour's professional career was spent at Hull City, for whom he made 15 appearances, all of which came in the EFL Championship in 2007.
A Premier League team as recently as the 2016/17 season, the Tigers have been relegated as far down the footballing pyramid as League One in the seven seasons since then.
Currently, in the EFL Championship, Hull were the subject of a £20m takeover from Turkish businessman Acun Ilicali in January 2022.
After finishing 19th, narrowly avoiding relegation, in the 2021/22 season, the Tigers climbed up to 15th in the second tier, a small but notable improvement.
But this season, their first full season with Liam Rosenior as manager, they finished seventh, missing out on a playoff place by just three points.
The club have now shockingly sacked Rosenior, but Parlour has seen plenty of positives in his former club's resurgence:
"It’s great that they are challenging for play-offs at the right end of the Championship. Hull City should build on this and continue to invest in good young players. I see them challenging again if they get the right appointment as head coach, albeit it’s a shame Rosenior was let go."
Ipswich are Premier League!
The footballing pyramid is integral to English football, and the story of Ipswich Town's Premier League return is excellent for the beautiful game.
Parlour spoke glowingly of their success and manager Kieran McKenna:
"It’s great. I like to see this. Alan Brazil will be happy as well! I’ve seen Ipswich this season and they play great football. This is fully deserved, it’s no fluke, they play a certain way and stick to this and it’s proven successful.
"The manager deserves huge praise for the way he has set up his team. They can cause Premier League teams a lot of problems next season."
FA Cup replays scrapped
Just as the footballing pyramid looks to be thriving, controversy has consumed fans as news broke that the Football Association (FA) have decided to scrap replays in the FA Cup from the first round onwards as of next season.
Parlour joined echoed this criticism, and also spoke about the impacts of the decision on 'smaller' clubs:
"It’s a shame no replays, I played in many replays during my career and this helped Arsenal progress and win the FA Cup a few times. For the small clubs, the revenue is massive if you get to take a big team back to your place and the romantics will feel this is a set-back.
"The FA Cup was amazing for me, I loved the competition and scored some important goals for Arsenal. I remember playing Leeds in a couple of replays in the mid 90s and the intensity was great."
England EUROs squad
The European Championships (EUROs) kickoff in just 33 days, and England are currently the favourites to win the tournament, according to most bookmakers.
News broke earlier this week that squads for the tournament have been increased from 23 players to 26, amidst concerns over player welfare, which has led to debate over the extra players that Gareth Southgate should call up.
Parlour weighed in on the debate, offering his say on some potentially lesser-spoken-about stars who he feels should be on the plane to Germany:
"I like [Jarrad] Braithwaite at Everton. He is a name who could make the squad. Now it’s a 26-man squad, I think Palmer is a definite to make it. One other player who offers some versatility is [Jarrod] Bowen from West Ham.
"He [Bowen] is not an obvious name, but he can play in a number of roles and you saw what he did in the final last year for West Ham. He could be key to come off the bench.
"It’s important to have players who can be good squad players and come off the bench and Bowen can be key, as can Palmer."
