Nigel de Jong told beIN SPORTS (08/11/20 at 9:25 pm) that Bukayo Saka let Arsenal down ‘twice’ during their 3-0 hammering at the hands of Aston Villa last night.
The former Premier League midfielder also added that right-back Hector Bellerin, who was ripped to shreds by Jack Grealish, has lost the rapid pace he once had in his locker.
Mikel Arteta’s side clearly didn’t read the early warning signs when John McGinn’s thumping effort inside a minute was ruled out by VAR because the North London side couldn’t handle Villa’s relentless attacking throughout the game.
When analysing yesterday’s goals from a defensive standpoint, De Jong explained why Saka was at fault on at least two occasions.
“Look how many players were in the box when you compare it to the number of players Villa had in the box [for their first goal],” said De Jong.
“What I also said at half-time was that Saka let the defence down twice because he could easily play offside twice and he’s the last man on that defence as well. Unfortunately, he is at the end of that goal [own goal].
Andy Gray then questioned Bellerin’s pace for Villa’s third: “I was saying to Nige [De Jong] I think he used to be rapid, but you think since his injury he’s not quite as quick?”
De Jong responded: “No, he’s not quite as quick as we have known from him [on how he defended Villa’s third goal and especially getting out-run by Grealish].”
The Arsenal team that recorded a deserved 1-0 win at Manchester United last week was non-existent at the Emirates Stadium.
That aggression, press and will to push forward was not there because most of the starting XI, if not all, struggled on the night.
What will worry Arsenal fans more is the defensive performance and reaction to the goals they conceded was a sign of that old Arsenal.
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