Gary Neville told Saturday Night Football on Sky Sports that it is ‘alarming’ how certain Arsenal players ‘drop off’ without the ball.
The TV pundit was critical of Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Martin Odegaard, Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos being ‘flaky’ out of possession during Arsenal’s defeat against Liverpool.
All five players started for Arsenal against the Premier League champions, but it would have perhaps been a lot different if the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka didn’t have injury worries.
Neville suggested that Arsenal are better off with the above two, Garbriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah in the starting XI because of the energy they provide without the ball.
“I think you have Ceballos, Odegaard, Pepe, Lacazette and Aubameyang all in the same team,” said Neville.
“You would have to say, really, a bit flaky out of possession. Their strengths are certainly with the ball and there are five of them in there. It certainly weakens Arsenal.
“It’s alarming to see the sort of drop off against the ball than when you see the likes of Saka and Smith Rowe play. He (Martinelli) played that day as well.
“If you said to Liverpool’s backline, Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli and Nketiah. They would probably think ‘different opposition’.”
Sometimes, it’s not about losing but it’s how you lose and that was evident at the Emirates at the weekend.
There are calls for Arsenal fans to ‘trust the process’ and Mikel Arteta, but performances, such as the one at the weekend, aren’t helping anyone’s cause.
And it’s not exactly come at a good time given that they are now preparing for a crucial Europa League showdown on Thursday.
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