Arsenal lost to Wolves in midweek and just when everyone thought they would bounce back, the Gunners have lost their weekend Premier League game, 1-0 to Aston Villa.
Much like the Wolves game, Arsenal dominated the Villa match as well but the home side took an early lead in the 2nd minute and the Gunners despite trying wholeheartedly, failed to turn things around.
The two consecutive losses mean Arsenal are still sitting on the 10th spot and according to pundit Rio Ferdinand, the North London side are showing such inconsistency because Arteta is yet to figure out his best starting XI.
‘Consistency is what they’re looking for,’ Ferdinand told BT Sport, as quoted by The Metro.
‘They were on a good run before that but obviously they get beaten in midweek and you’re looking for a response [against Villa] but they didn’t manage to get that.
‘The biggest problem for me with this team at the moment is whether its injuries or players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with personal issues…it’s getting his best team out there. I don’t think he really knows his best team at the minute.
‘I think Arsenal have issues there in working out their best formation and their best team before they consistently get it right. you see signs and then you see a step back and that’s the problem.’
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Arsenal are currently without some key players like David Luiz and Bernd Leno, both of whom picked up red cards against Wolves while left-back Kieran Tierney is also taking time to recover from his calf injury.
All these players have been guaranteed starters for Arteta this season so their absence does shake things up a bit. But still, it’s no excuse for slumping to two back-to-back losses, especially when they were the better side in both those games.
To add to all the woes, Thomas Partey has now picked up a muscle injury during the second half vs Villa and he could be out for a few weeks.
Next up, Arsenal take on Leeds United in the Premier League, following which the Gunners are back in the Europa League, taking on Benfica in the first leg of the Round of 32.
