Ex-Arsenal star Gilberto Silva has arrived today in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of a delegation promoting the World Cup trophy in the city of Sarajevo.

The Premier League champion has released an interview for N1, talking about his impressions of the country, the city, and the World Cup that will be held in Qatar this winter.

He also talked about Arsenal and its struggles to keep up with the best teams in the Premiership, saying:

“Yesterday they had a very tough game, they lost against Newcastle away. They missed a great opportunity to be playing in the Champions League next season. They don’t only need to win the final game, but they also need Tottenham to drop points. It’s not in their hands”, Gilberto said, adding that he’s hopeful until the end.

Silva is aware that Arsenal have to be very lucky to be part of the footballing elite in Europe next season.

“It’s tough. If they miss it (UCL), it’s going to be very frustrating for the fans, for themselves because it was in their hands. Perhaps they blew it, but let’s see what happens until the last minute, everything has to play out. They have to be at their best from now on,” he said.

We asked Gilberto what was Arsenal lacking to be part of the top four.

“They need to be more competitive. They have to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City. It’s not easy, because those are the top teams. Arsenal need to work very hard to get back to the place they deserve to be.”

Arsenal will play their last match this season on Sunday at home against Everton, who are trying to stay in the Premiership.