Arsenal managed to draw their latest Premier League game vs West Ham United but they had to really struggle to pick up that point and maintain their post in the top half of the table.
Everyone expected this to be an evenly matched contest but the Hammers shocked their London rivals by picking up a 3-0 lead pretty early on in the match. And barring the Jesse Lingard strike, every goal could have been avoided in the Gunners defenders were a bit more proactive.
The second goal, in particular, game due to lapse in concentration from the Arsenal players, allowing Jesse Lingard to take a quick free kick and Bowen eventually putting the ball in the back of the net.
And this defensive fragility has not gone down too well with Jamie Redknapp who was furious with the Arsenal players for not following one of the most basic rules of playing football.
“When you talk about when you’re a kid, one of the first things you learn when the ball goes dead don’t turn your back,” said the former Tottenham midfielder on Sky Sports, as quoted.
“Look at the Arsenal players there, you can see Tierney, Partey, Xhaka, you can see Mari. Look at the goalkeeper – he never gets himself in the right position.
“That is abject. That is what you expect from schoolboys when you talk about football.
“It was a poor piece of goalkeeping as well. But it just summed them up. It’s now how you play football. You’ve got to be bright. You need leaders. Take responsibility. That’s why they got caught out.
“It’s a difficult one because he’s[Leno] in a position where he’s 20 yards away. It’s more the players. It’s just something you learn as a kid. Every one of them goes to sleep there. Full credit to West Ham. But that summed up the first 30 minutes from Arsenal’s point of view.”
West Ham United got a few more opportunities to pick up all three points but eventually, they failed to put the ball into the back of the net, one way or the other. And this defensive languidness from the away side will be a major cause of concern for the Arsenal manager.
The Gunners have some really important games coming up after the international break and if players like David Luiz and co cannot get their act straight in time then Arsenal will be finishing the season without any major achievements.
Data courtesy Whoscored.
