Arsenal’s 5-0 victory over Palace left most Gooners with nothing to complain about. In fact, some consider it one of their best league wins this season.
However, Martin Keown is unhappy with one thing about Arsenal’s victory over Palace. His issue is with Gabriel Jesus’ style of play.
The former Arsenal defender believes Gabriel Jesus’ positioning on the pitch is holding back this Arsenal team. He’s concerned that the Brazilian striker drifts out wide to link up play, yet he doesn’t make runs to recover and be fed the ball to convert it for a goal. This circumstance undoubtedly sees him struggle in front of goal and has an impact on Arsenal’s attacking play, as Keown told TNT: “I like him as a player. I think he is an excellent player, but I just feel there is an issue.
“Is he the predator? Does he really want to get into that central position? And it almost seemed like he went back to type there. ‘I’ll wander into a wide position, and then I’ll feed somebody else,’ but he doesn’t really make the runs into the box.
“You have got to want to get there; it’s got to be that desire to get on the ball, and he can see the space, but for whatever reason he doesn’t want to get into that area, then they don’t feed him. That’s an area, perhaps, he needs to work on.”
That said, Keown believes the ex-Manchester City player and Arsenal’s striking coaches have some work to do to help him develop the predator instincts of a striker, which will allow him to play well in position and show us his best version of himself as a striker.
“It’s just interesting that Pep [Guardiola] had him for quite a few years and decided to use him in that right position,” Keown added.
“That looked like the role he took up for Man City, but if he is going to be Arsenal’s centre-forward, then they are going to have to do more work on keeping him in that central position.
“He works so hard for the team. He is an outstanding talent, but I don’t see him as a predator right now.”
With Arsenal unlikely to sign a striker, their prospects of winning the league may improve if Gabriel gets back to scoring more regularly. The Arsenal attacking department should follow Keown’s advice; work on Jesus’ positioning, and who knows, it could be the game-changer tactic they need for the second part of this season.
Daniel O
Another option: keep Jesus on any of the flanks to rotate with the other two. Then put a proper no.9 in the middle, like Serhou Guirassy. We will kill all opposition teams, big or small. Jesus is NOT a no.9 and has never been. He is effective feeding than receiving.
True, at the moment Nketiah is a better option on 9 position, even Martinelli may do better there than Jesus
The 7 billion people on earth know it except one man, and that man’s opinions matter. Just accept that as long as MA is in charge, his coterie will be on the pitch, not by talent, not by skills, just by nepotism alone.
@Indian Gunner,
I second your narrative. hence, let’s see how far the one man show can lead us to…
His coterie?
Doesn’t what you’re saying apply to Klopp and Guardiola? Who signed Darwin Nunez or Haaland and the rest of their squads ? Both of those managers signed their coterie and play them, in no small part because they believe in them. You clearly don’t believe in Rice, Maghaeles, Odegaard, Partey, Tomi, etc etc. Why not throw in Martinelli or Saka who are, according to many on JA, Arteta’s signings because he gave them improved deals.
I honestly don’t know what people expect when they frequently moan about Arteta but never offer a viable alternative
Just have to sit back and watch them embarass themselves.
@IG
Do you even know what nepotism means. Again you are spouting like a troll.
PAT He certainly DOES write, regularly too, just like a troll. What actual evidence, IF ANY, do you have that he is NOT a troll, I ask in all seriousness?
There is a true saying that if it looks, acts and quacks like a duck, then it IS a duck.
For “duck”, read troll!
@ Indian gunner can you just think before posting…. Sigh!!!!
Yeah, Gabriel Jesus is as a winger better than both Saka and Martinelli. Arsenal need all three, for a routation scheme. But the club must get a striker!
Must get a killer in the middle. No Toney, no Trophy.
Irritates me to see Gabriel Jesus diving around.
These are some of the observations the coaching staff work on or better still, try him out in other positions. One keep wondering why the coach can not try him at the right wing so as to give Saka the needed rest and play Martinelli as a central striker. Let him shuffle the attacking positions and see how it will work. Honestly, Jesus as a top nine has been wasteful. Maybe, that’s why Guardiola played him at the wings.