Kevin Campbell has faulted Mikel Arteta’s decision to field Granit Xhaka as a left-back in Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Brighton in their last match.
The Gunners needed a change of personnel in that position after Nuno Tavares had laboured in there on his last appearance for the club, while Kieran Tierney is injured.
Arteta used Xhaka in that position even though he was missing Thomas Partey. That decision meant the Gunners didn’t have any of their best holding midfielders in position for the fixture.
It showed as Brighton ended their poor run of form by beating the Gunners at the Emirates.
It was a bad result and helped Tottenham to move above the Gunners on the league table. Former Gunner, Campbell, insists the result is on the manager.
He tells Football Insider: “That one is on the manager.
“If Partey is not there you need Granit Xhaka on the pitch. Coming from me, that is saying something.
“Xhaka has been a constant in midfield along with Partey. So to take him out of there to play left-back weakens us. That is what the big issue is.
“The centre of the pitch is the engine room. Xhaka is not the best player but he can do a job in there. He is also experienced so he could help Sambi Lokonga. Sambi looked like he was on his own in there. It was not right.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
One of the hardest jobs in the world now is to manage Arsenal with some of our key players missing and their backups doing badly.
Arteta had no choice but to tinker with his squad even though it didn’t work out as we wanted.
Unless Tavares can do well, Xhaka might still be fielded in that position until the end of this season.
How dare him fault the manager on this??
This should be the players fault for not doing their assignment.
Remember that’s why he’s the coach and you are not.
Any small critism people will scream support your team and your manager.
But they are quickly to label players as deadwood.
Xhaka, nketia, pepe, elneny, Tavares, laca are not part of the team? Or they don’t need support since they are not the manager.
You want us to get behind the team and the manager but first person to go against that is the manager himself.
We either criticize all when they perform poorly including the manager or we don’t criticize anyone at all including the players.. after all back your team by all means should be first priority for most if not all.
The coach’s action is what Albert Einstein calls insanity. It’s total insanity by MA
No excuse for that horrible decision
Let’s see if he learned his lesson about Xhaka at LB and blowing up the midfield.
This is another pro arteta column. Paying xhaka at left back was a mistake. I’d have played a full back instead, either Cedric or even an u’23 left back. Without Partey and xhaka and playing Lokonga with Odegaard was a massive mistake. Arteta is still showing his inexperience at this level. Kevin Campbell is right. Arteta is out of his depth as is kroenke
It’s true that was coach mistakes also why he didn’t try to use souries at left back and holding at right back for my suggestion is the coach doesn’t have a good relationship with the players he must think of the fans too we happy when we win not lose