Trevor Sinclair said on talkSPORT (2:28pm, February 6, 2021) that Arsenal attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe had a game to forget against Aston Villa.
The former West Ham United winger, who now works as a pundit for talkSPORT, believes that Arsenal lacked creativity against Villa at Villa Park.
The Gunners lost the Premier League match 1-0 on Saturday, thanks to Ollie Watkins’s goal as early as the second minute.
Sinclair also praised Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for his performance against his former club.
The Argentine joined the Villans from Arsenal in the summer of 2020.
Sinclair said about Smith Rowe on talkSPORT (2:28pm, February 6, 2021): “From a creativity point of view, I thought they really lacked that. I think Saka was good going forward, Pepe, he huffed and puffed, Smith-Rowe, it was probably one of them games where he would rather forget because he really struggled to make an impact in the game.”
The Englishman said about Martinez on on talkSPORT (2:19pm, February 6, 2021): “He has brought his A-game. You are talking about his distribution, whether ball out of his hands or ball on the ground, he has been exceptional. I don’t think he has given the ball away… All his decision-making has been superb from a goalkeeping perspective.”
How did Emile Smith Rowe play against Aston Villa?
Smith Rowe has been playing well for Arsenal in recent weeks and has established himself as an important player in the team.
However, against Villa at the weekend, the 20-year-old could not make a huge impact.
The English youngster worked hard for the team and tried to make things happen, but he had a disappointing game overall and could not unlock the Villa defence.
According to WhoScored, Smith Rowe took one shot which was not on target, played one key pass, had a pass accuracy of 93.3%, took 76 touches, attempted two dribbles, and made one tackle.
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