Arsenal suffered a 5-1 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, but who were the key under-performers for Arsene Wenger’s side?
Mesut Ozil
An obvious but necessary place to start given that the German play-maker made two errors that led to Liverpool goals.
In truth, Ozil has not been anywhere near his best for some time, but against Liverpool he looked devoid of confidence and was replaced shortly after half-time.
As you can see from the table below, Arsenal have conceded six goals in the Premier League this season as a result of an error from one of their own. But Ozil is the first to make two such mistakes in little over an hour.
| Player | Match | Matchday | Error Lead To Goal | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesut Özil | Liverpool vs Arsenal | 25 | 2 | 61 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Aston Villa vs Arsenal | 21 | 1 | 90 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Man City vs Arsenal | 16 | 1 | 72 |
| Wojciech Szczesny | West Ham vs Arsenal | 18 | 1 | 90 |
| Jack Wilshere | Man City vs Arsenal | 16 | 1 | 90 |
Olivier Giroud
The French striker was soon on Twitter to apologise for his performance on Saturday, and you can understand why when you see a striker have just two scoring attempts prior to his subsitution.
On top form in the league, Giroud has had six scoring attempts against Aston Villa, and has recorded five attempts on five separate occasions. But against the Reds, he was clearly not at his best, and he was replaced by Lukas Podolski shortly before Ozil joined him on the bench.
| Player | Match | Matchday | Total Scoring Att | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal vs Aston Villa | 01 | 6 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | Cardiff vs Arsenal | 13 | 5 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal vs Stoke | 05 | 5 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | Sunderland vs Arsenal | 04 | 5 | 89 |
| Olivier Giroud | Crystal Palace vs Arsenal | 09 | 5 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal vs Spurs | 03 | 5 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | Aston Villa vs Arsenal | 21 | 4 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal vs Everton | 15 | 4 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal vs Norwich | 08 | 4 | 78 |
| Olivier Giroud | Man City vs Arsenal | 16 | 3 | 76 |
| Olivier Giroud | Newcastle vs Arsenal | 19 | 3 | 86 |
| Olivier Giroud | West Ham vs Arsenal | 18 | 3 | 85 |
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal vs Fulham | 22 | 3 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | West Brom vs Arsenal | 07 | 3 | 85 |
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal vs Southampton | 12 | 3 | 90 |
| Olivier Giroud | Liverpool vs Arsenal | 25 | 2 | 60 |
Santi Cazorla
It may seem somewhat harsh to name the Spaniard in this list given his recent fine form. But it is exactly because of that form that he is included.
Arsenal’s Player of the Month for January was exactly the type of player needed to inspire victory – or at least a better showing – on Saturday. With the Gunners in desperate need of chances, Cazorla’s recent goal-scoring run came to an end, as did his ability to create for his teammates.
Twice this season he has made six key passes in Premier League matches. Against Liverpool, that figure dropped to just two.
| Player | Match | Matchday | Key Pass | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago Cazorla | Fulham vs Arsenal | 02 | 6 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | West Ham vs Arsenal | 18 | 6 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal vs Fulham | 22 | 5 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal vs Spurs | 03 | 3 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal vs Hull | 14 | 3 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal vs Liverpool | 10 | 3 | 84 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal vs Cardiff | 20 | 2 | 90 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Liverpool vs Arsenal | 25 | 2 | 90 |
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
