Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been criticised for two big decisions he’s made this season which have made his team weaker, according to pundit Craig Burley.
The Spanish tactician made some big calls during the summer, signing Kai Havertz from Chelsea despite the Germany international struggling for much of his time at Stamford Bridge, and bringing in goalkeeper David Raya on loan from Brentford, despite already having a very solid number one in the form of Aaron Ramsdale.
Speaking to ESPN FC in the clip below, Burley made it clear that he was not at all convinced by these two big calls, as it seems to have made Arsenal weaker than they were last season when they put in a surprisingly strong title challenge…
Havertz now seems to have been dropped from the starting line up, and Burley has suggested it could be that Raya will be next.
Fellow pundit Kieran Gibbs agreed that it might be a good idea for Arsenal to give Ramsdale a game in mid-week to freshen things up a bit.
The worst thing is that Arteta has continued to keep Ramsdale even out of the CL games instead of rotating them.
Let’s agree that to err is human and that Raya and havertz have actually made things worse. I don’t understand what was the strategy of the Arsenal staff in making certain decisions. However, destroying the midfield that led Arsenal to great things last campaign has worsened the way we play.
Even when Partey is fit, Arteta is reluctant to play him alongside Rice whereas he’s the one that changed the Man City game.
Does Arteta watch back these games before making decisions?
PARTEY IS THE ONE MIDFIELDER WHO MOVES THE BALL FASTER AHEAD AND LINKS UP WITH THE ATTACK MAKING THE WORK EASIER FOR ODEGAARD AS WELL.
Neither Rice nor Jorginho does it as well as Partey although Rice is really tough at defending. Jorginho makes too many back passes. He plays for safety most of the time.