How Arsenal’s defenders compared against Stoke City.
Arsenal had a day to forget at the Britannia, losing to Stoke City 3-2 and it was a day all associated with the club will want to forget.
Having kept three clean sheets in their previous matches, their defence was undone in less than a minute by Peter Crouch, who netted from close range.
Wenger rested Laurent Koscielny, which meant a reshuffle at the back with Hector Bellerin at right-back and Calum Chambers in the middle.
| Match | Won Tackles | Interception Won | Aerial Duels Won | Accurate Crosses | Shots Blocked | Assists | Goals | Total | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kieran Gibbs | Stoke vs Arsenal | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 89 |
| Per Mertesacker | Stoke vs Arsenal | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 90 |
| Héctor Bellerín | Stoke vs Arsenal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 45 |
| Calum Chambers | Stoke vs Arsenal | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 78 |
Stacking up the performance of the defenders who featured, by adding up their various selected attributes, Kieran Gibbs edged his way to being the best Arsenal star in the backline.
Gibbs amassed seven points, which to be the best with that total speaks volumes for the general low standard of play by the Gunners. Against Southampton in midweek, Calum Chambers topped the table with 13.
Chambers moved from right-back to centre-back against Stoke, and the dip in his performance showed. Not even taking into account his red card, he achieved less in 78 minutes than Hector Bellerin did in 45, substituted at half-time.
Chambers did not win a single tackle or interception, and disappointingly won only one header. Against Stoke, a recipe for disaster.
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