“He shouldn’t be allowed back on the training ground next week, he completed JUST 6 passes against Spurs and had less touches than the goalkeeper”- An Arsenal legend has warned Mikel Arteta to get rid of one of his players who will not allow him to win the league
An Arsenal veteran has advised Mikel Arteta to fire one of his players who will prevent him from winning the league—not Jorginho, Jesus, or Havertz—because he completed JUST 6 passes against Spurs and had fewer touches than the goalie.
Arsenal drew 2-2 with Spurs despite lacking a spark in the final third.
It appeared as though Arsenal was back in the smooth groove that had seen them dominate so much last season when they thoroughly destroyed PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
That appeared to be the case for the first 30 minutes of Sunday’s north London derby as well.
Spurs were forced to play through a rabid pressing unit as Mikel Arteta’s men charged at them. To their credit, Ange Postecoglou’s team handled that aspect of the situation effectively.
But when Bukayo Saka scored on a Cristian Romero wicket deflection to put them under 1-0, it wasn’t enough to save them.
That was recorded as an own goal before Saka scored on his own in the second half from the penalty spot. However, Heung-min Son’s two goals ensured that the game ended 2-2 and prevented a victory.
Arsenal weren’t at their fluid, best. After a magnificent display in the Champions League a few days prior, captain Martin Odegaard only managed 18 passes at a pitiful 64% success rate, and Jorginho, a halftime replacement for the injured Declan Rice, was robbed of the ball by James Maddison in appalling circumstances for Tottenham’s second goal.
That being said, one of the biggest party crashers on Sunday may have been the untiring Eddie Nketiah.
How did Nketiah do in the Spurs match?
Throughout 2023, the young striker has served as Gabriel Jesus’ wise assistant.
At the World Cup last winter, the Brazilian suffered an injury that ultimately caused him to miss a few months. It was a concern for the Gunners at the time, but Nketiah stepped up and scored against West Ham and Brighton soon after the break before scoring again, including a game-winning goal against Manchester United in late January.
He scored against Nottingham Forest and Fulham to kick off the new season with a bang, but since Jesus has returned to full health, his performances have waned.
He was taken off against Everton eight days ago just after the hour mark, so yesterday he definitely shouldn’t have been given much more time.
It’s interesting to speculate about whether he would have played if Leandro Trossard’s injury during practice hadn’t occurred. After his success in Europe, Jesus was switched to the left side, and Nketiah once more led the line.
But after a modest performance, it was Jesus who was substituted in the second half, despite the academy graduate managing to play the entire 100-minute game.
The first half of Nketiah’s afternoon was probably the most upsetting for him. Micky van de Ven was beaten by Destiny Udogie’s backpass, giving Arsenal’s number 14 a slim chance to score.
