On paper the result for Arsenal isn’t a total disaster tonight as they do go back with an away goal and a real chance of making the final, but Villarreal were clearly the better team and you worry that they might not manage to overturn the first-leg defeat.
It will hurt more because it’s Unai Emery who has got the better of Mikel Arteta, but one decision in particular has come back to haunt the Arsenal boss.
It looks like he tried to go with a false 9 up front with Nicolas Pepe leading the line, but it meant they didn’t have a clear focal point and they really struggled to take control of the game and create any meaningful chances.
Arteta has had issues in the past where he’s tried to be too clever and those decisions have come back to bite him, and there are plenty of fans who are furious with him tonight – including Everton’s Yannik Bolasie:
SMH! Dead the false 9 experiment we need to see Gabi up top pronto
— Yannick Bolasie (@YannickBolasie) April 29, 2021
#arteta should be fired simple, trying to do what city did and failed we have pace upfront and dea?ly striker but decided to play his nonsense,for me I'm done with arteta
— Njabulo jakalacy (@NjabuloNdebele9) April 29, 2021
No striker, midfielders that wont/cant shoot. Ceballos strolling around and even a blind man could see he would get sent off. Terrible team selection by Arteta but lucky to be still in with a shout
— Paul Noonan (@noonchild11) April 29, 2021
I always say that Mikel Arteta's in-game management is his greatest weakness. Didn't need a fortune teller to reveal that we needed an out and out striker right from 46' and that Xhaka though he did well would've done better complimenting Partey in the middle. And the timing ?
— I remain Chinedu Hector Rupert Nnaemeka???? (@hector55) April 29, 2021
*arteta before the game*
"we're playing without a striker tonight"*arteta after the game*
"we struggled to create chances in the first half"#artetaout #KroenkeOut— . (@annoyedgunner) April 29, 2021
Arteta need to explain his starting line up without striker…
— Sodiq Adekunle (@Sodexintl) April 29, 2021
Arteta got lucky tonight we were appallingly bad in the 1st half. Who plays a totally new system in the biggest game of the season and leaves 3 strikers on the bench! Made no sense #VILARS
— Steve Coates (@Coatesy1963) April 29, 2021
This one is on Arteta
Terrible choice of line-up formation.
Ceballos is shite…ant see his departure soon enough.
Once again, Rowe and Saca carry the squad.
Pete was very good.
No Madtenelli or Beguion,? Arteta needs to play yourself our strengths and not be cute. Idiotic.
Time to look around for someone else.
Kronke does not to pay a very experiment manager. That is why he will take chit coach and who will give us shit result. Everything is normal!
Beginning of the end for Arteta and his naive squad.
An ambitious club can’t hire arteta as a coach take note of that my fellow fans. I am a real supporter of arsenal no matter how badly and rubbish they are, I still remain an arsenal fan even though I know that we cannot achieve anything with the current boards surrounding the club including arteta and his nonsense staff.
Arteta was never a real coach we thought he was,you cant be looking up to those that are more experience,guardiola knows what he has.looking forward to de bruyne who made a pass to make a requallizing goal those fears were never in villareal couse we dont have those type of midfield from the beging.tell me what are you having gabriel martineli for at least he’s good and well feated why benching him?…