Perry Groves has criticised Arsenal duo Dani Ceballos and Nicolas Pepe, describing them as complete liabilities off the ball.
Arsenal were demolished 3-0 by Liverpool on Saturday in a scoreline that Mikel Arteta himself admitted probably flattered the Gunners, who were at home.
Arteta’s side just couldn’t get to grips with the Reds’ energy and when facing the reigning Premier League champions, you have to be prepared to press a lot.
And honestly, quite a few of the hosts didn’t look overly bothered with that aspect.
As a result, Pepe was more or less invisible for much of the game and Ceballos – on loan from Real Madrid – was horribly wasteful in possession in what was a nervy display from the Spain international.
In fact, it was one of the Spaniard’s worst performances for Arsenal and one of the club’s former players has told talkSPORT that he feels the 24-year-old is something of a flat-track bully, a maestro against ‘lesser teams’.
He said: “Ceballos cannot play in the middle of midfield against the top teams, against the top six. He’s very good in the Europa League or against the lesser teams. He’s a liability off the ball. Pepe is a liability off the ball.”
We know Arteta to be a far sterner figure than either of his predecessors – Unai Emery and Arsene Wenger – and therefore this display just won’t sit well with the former Manchester City assistant.
Ceballos and Pepe are hardly having brilliant seasons anyway but both players – and others – will have been told in no uncertain terms that a slack defensive display against Liverpool of all teams is unacceptable.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
