Tim Sherwood has shared that Mikel Arteta was shouting at Aaron Ramsdale to ‘play out’ from the back before Arsenal opened the scoring against Southampton, as he told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports.
The Sky pundit stated that Ramsdale started to ‘kick it up the field’ before Alexandre Lacazette’s strike during the 3-0 win, which seemingly didn’t please the manager.
And too right they did play out from the back because Arsenal’s opening goal was a thing of beauty.
It was an outstanding team effort from the north London side, which was finished up by Lacazette, who was leading the line and wearing the captain’s armband instead of the absent, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Former title-winning midfielder Sherwood lauded the ‘wonderful strike’ from the Frenchman and what Arteta was saying from the sidelines.
“They play out from the back,” said Sherwood. “But Ramsdale decided during the last few to just kick it up the field.
“Arteta is on the side of the pitch and he is saying ‘no, we play out’. I understand why Ramsdale was changing it.
“But now they play out from the back. It goes back to Ramsdale, then they open the pitch to the right-hand side. Go into the pivot, come out wide again, Saka drops his shoulders and gets on the wrong side of Bednarek and he just runs away from him.
“He finds a pass, they are one v one and he gets his head up in the box. He’s looking ‘where is the support?’ Lacazette offers himself and he just bends it into the top corner. A wonderful strike.”
Arsenal fans aren’t probably sure what to make of their team and where they are heading under Arteta.
One week, it is utter meltdown and questions are being asked of the man on the sidelines, then they are beating the so-called lesser teams comfortably and sitting outside of the Champions League places.
After the weekend’s action, the Gunners are sitting in sixth place and are two points behind fourth-placed West Ham.
Finishing in the Champions League places is the aim, and following Manchester United’s abject start to the campaign, it has opened up for someone to take that fourth spot this season.
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