{"id":893649,"date":"2026-03-23T03:23:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T08:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/23\/what-matters-is-results-ex-nigeria-star-disagrees-with-scholes-carragher-over-arsenal-title-race\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T03:23:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T08:23:29","slug":"what-matters-is-results-ex-nigeria-star-disagrees-with-scholes-carragher-over-arsenal-title-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/23\/what-matters-is-results-ex-nigeria-star-disagrees-with-scholes-carragher-over-arsenal-title-race\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018What matters is results\u2019 \u2013 Ex-Nigeria star disagrees with Scholes, Carragher over Arsenal title race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img width=\"750\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Soccer \u2018What matters is results\u2019 \u2013 Ex-Nigeria star disagrees with Scholes, Carragher over Arsenal title race\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/03\/imago1074456599.jpg\" srcset data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\"><\/p>\n<p>Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Copyright: xJOERANxSTEINSIEKxImago<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Former <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/super-eagles\">Super Eagles<\/a> defender Godwin Okpara believes that if <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/arsenal\">Arsenal<\/a> go on to win the Premier League title this season, they will fully deserve it, no matter what critics say about their style of play, Soccernet.ng reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Okpara&#8217;s view comes at a time when the debate around Arsenal\u2019s title credentials has grown louder, with several former players questioning whether the Gunners are convincing champions.<\/p>\n<p>Former <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/man-united\">Manchester United<\/a> midfielder Paul Scholes has been one of the strongest critics. He argued that no team in the league has done enough to deserve the trophy and even suggested it should not be awarded this season. Scholes also claimed that if Arsenal win it, they could be remembered as one of the \u2018worst&#8217; champions, pointing to their reliance on set-pieces and what he described as a lack of excitement in their play.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_201202\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-201202\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/03\/imago1074693917.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Manchester United legend Paul Scholes \" width=\"7016\" height=\"4677\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-201202\">Manchester United legend Paul Scholes. Copyright: xMIxNewsxIMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Similarly, former <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/liverpool\">Liverpool<\/a> defender Jamie Carragher has questioned Arsenal\u2019s attacking quality. He believes the team lacks a clear superstar and has criticised manager Mikel Arteta for being too cautious in big matches.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these views, Arsenal\u2019s position at the top of the table tells a different story. They hold a strong lead over Manchester City and have shown consistency throughout the season, a key factor in any title-winning campaign.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_201195\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-201195\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/03\/imago1074453850.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and striker Viktor Gy\u00f6keres \" width=\"3721\" height=\"3082\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-201195\">Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and striker Viktor Gy\u00f6keres. Copyright: COLORSPORT \/ ANDREW COWIE \/IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Soccer Okpara on Arsenal: Results matter more than style<\/h2>\n<p>Former Nigeria international Godwin Okpara, however, believes winning the Premier League is never easy, and any team that finishes first deserves full respect.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIn my opinion, any team that wins the Premier League deserves it,\u201d the former PSG star told the <a href=\"https:\/\/newtelegraphng.com\/godwin-okpara-nff-should-plan-for-future-after-world-cup-failure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NewTelegraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Even teams at the bottom are strong, so finishing at the top is a major achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_201201\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-201201\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/03\/imago1054386936.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Godwin Okpara \" width=\"1756\" height=\"2474\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-201201\">Former Super Eagles defender Godwin Okpara. Copyright: xNicoxVereeckenx IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Okpara, who had a notable career in Europe and represented Nigeria at the highest level, pointed out that Arsenal\u2019s rise has been gradual and well-earned.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt requires consistency, discipline, and quality. Arsenal have been close for several years now. They have finished in second and third positions multiple times, showing that they are competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He believes that the Gunners\u2019 current position is the result of long-term improvement rather than luck.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAt some point, you have to acknowledge their effort and give them credit. If they eventually win the title, then it means they have earned it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_201194\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-201194\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/03\/imago1074287276.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta \" width=\"2073\" height=\"1738\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-201194\">Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Copyright: xMarkxPainxIMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Arsenal\u2019s performances this season support his argument. They have defended well, managed games smartly, and found ways to win even when not playing at their best. While critics focus on how they play, Okpara insists that results are what truly matter.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt does not matter how they play, whether people think their style is attractive or not. What matters is results. For me, if Arsenal win the league, they deserve full recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Arsenal are the current leader in the Premier League title race, holding a nine-point lead over Manchester City with seven games remaining.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img alt=\"<!-- Author Start -->Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<!-- Author End -->&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2024\/12\/DSC_0327-copy-150&#215;150.jpg&#8221;  height=&#8221;80&#8243; width=&#8221;80&#8243;>\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/author\/imhonlamhen-eronmhonsele\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tA lifelong fan of Arsenal and the Super Eagles, Imhonlamhen is a football writer and editor at Soccernet.ng, where his journey as a journalist began more than six years ago. Since then, he has helped shape the platform\u2019s editorial voice and guided it toward some of its proudest milestones. <\/p>\n<p>With a background in Engineering and further training in journalism and digital media, Imhons brings both precision and passion to his storytelling. His love for football runs deep, but he also follows boxing, chess, and athletics with equal curiosity.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2026\/03\/nigeria-scholes-carragher-arsenal-title.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Copyright: xJOERANxSTEINSIEKxImago Former Super Eagles defender Godwin Okpara believes that if Arsenal go on to win the Premier League title this season, they will fully deserve it, no matter what critics say about their style of play, Soccernet.ng reports. Okpara&#8217;s view comes at a time when the debate around Arsenal\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":893650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36870,32801,2005],"tags":[17811,5522],"class_list":{"0":"post-893649","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-what","8":"category-matters","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-matters","11":"tag-what"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=893649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/893650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=893649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=893649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=893649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}