Things couldn’t have gone any worse for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side against London rivals Brentford, in their first game of the 2021/22 campaign.
Without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette through illness, the Gunners looked flat for the most part, and with a game against Chelsea up next, you have to feel for the north Londoners.
Arteta couldn’t seem to raise his troops against a sprightly Brentford side playing their first-ever game in the English top-flight.
Once the Bees went ahead, there only looked to be one winner and that doesn’t bode will for the rest of the season.
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Aside from one or two reasonably competent performances, the Arsenal squad have to be disappointed with their showing.
Sky Sports pundits, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both agreed that Calum Chambers was the worst culprit on the night.
“He needs to play in a back three,” Neville said after the game, cited by the Mirror. “He’s not a right-back in a back four and not a centre-back in a back two.
“The physicality that is expected at full-back now the back four the speed before and I was looking at the end here it was a honest performance but he falls short of the physical expectations.
“He’s just not quick enough up, then he can’t get up and show him outside which he needs to, he can’t show him on the inside but he does, he’s sort of ambling up to him, it’s uncomfortable.”
Carragher agreed with his colleague, noting; “He’s not a right back he’s someone you go to in the middle of the season, if you’re starting him from the beginning, and no disrespect to him, he’s not a full-back he doesn’t suit it, it doesn’t look right.”