Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League this weekend. And this draw now means the Gunners have dropped points in two consecutive games.
And speaking after the North London Derby, Paul Merson has signalled a warning regarding Arsenal’s midfield.
The pundit has said that the trio of Xhaka, Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira were a major cause of concern for Unai Emery during the match and the manager needs to sort it out as quickly as possible.
“Every time Tottenham broke they looked like they were going to score, Arsenal were that open. The midfield issues were serious,” Merson said(as reported).
“You’ve got Granit Xhaka who goes around kicking people and getting booked.
“Yes, Matteo Guendouzi found a great pass for the equaliser, but you cannot rely on him or Lucas Torreira to thread the ball through the eye of a needle on a consistent basis.
“In Xhaka, Guendouzi and Torreira, Arsenal have three players who are not creative. They are three holding players, but every time Tottenham broke, they had the freedom of the Emirates.
“I couldn’t believe what I was watching. It was reminiscent of when Arsene Wenger was managing.”
VERDICT:
Arsenal started the game with a 4-3-3 in order to accommodate the three forwards up front which is why one of the major reasons why the midfield area failed to function at its fullest.
The trio put in a fine shift during the game as they managed to weave together 201 passes and also keep the likes of Son and Eriksen quiet for large parts of the match. But unfortunately, all of their actions were limited to the defensive and central midfield areas.
None of these players joined in on attack which is one of the biggest reasons why Spurs managed to hold on until the final minute. Maybe this was instructed to them as Unai Emery wanted his midfielders to dictate terms in the middle of the park.
But this match clearly required the adeptness of someone like Dani Ceballos who did come on during the second half but failed to make an influence.
Obviously Ceballos has been earmarked as the playmaker by Emery but the manager just did not want to risk playing him in such a high profile game so early on during the season.
So while Merson is absolute right to raise concerns but we do not believe the match will stick to this midfield combination during the course of the season.
Stats via Whoscored.com.
