Martin Keown wasn’t impressed by Mikel Arteta’s tactics during Arsenal’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Slavia Prague last night, telling talkSPORT (9 April, 10am) Thomas Partey needs to work on his fitness.
Talk about letting an opportunity slip through your fingers.
Arsenal should have been over the hill and far away last night before Tomas Holes cancelled out Nicolas Pepe’s opener with pretty much the last kick of the game at the Emirates.
The Gunners missed chance after chance before that potentially disastrous 93rd-minute leveller with Alexandre Lacazette, in particular, coming in for criticism.
The France international missed two glorious opportunities in the second half, clipping the bar when one on one before firing a brilliant Bukayo Saka cross over the bar.
But, according to Arsenal legend Keown, questions must be asked of Arteta too following the latest in a long string of disappointing results.
“I was really surprised. (Arsenal) looked passive, nervous. They didn’t take the game to (Slavia Prague) at all. They sat deep and allowed them to get back into the game. (Slavia’s) resolve as a group is a lesson to Arsenal,” Keown says.
“With the quality Arsenal have, I think it’s coming back more to the manager now in terms of his selection. The single most important thing is for the manager to get the right selection on the pitch – and I don’t think he got that last night.”
Gabriel Martinelli, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and goalscorer Pepe all made a big impact from the bench but Keown believes Arteta should have introduced the trio far earlier than the final 20 minutes.
“He needs to be held responsible. I can’t understand why Martinelli doesn’t play? He’s an outstanding talent. On the left, we didn’t have a left-footed player. Perhaps Saka should have played on the left?
I hope (Arteta) is being challenged by the staff because (the team) didn’t have the balance to it.
“They didn’t really set up to (press from the front) and that’s surprising to me. (Arteta) looks like he’s lost confidence in his players. I do feel this is an outstanding coach but he now needs to become an outstanding manager.”
Keown was also concerned about the performance of big summer signing Thomas Partey, who trudged around the Emirates turf as if weighed down by a pair of mud-covered wellies.
“(Partey) couldn’t get around the pitch. He’s not fit enough. They brought him in to control games.”
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