One player that has received a lot of criticism for Arsenal’s poor form in the last few weeks is Rob Holding.
The spotlight has been on the Englishman since William Saliba was injured and he had to step in and play for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The former Bolton man is considered soft and was bullied by Erling Haaland and the Manchester City attackers in Arsenal’s last match.
This increased calls for him to be dropped, but Arsenal does not have another capable centre-back to partner Gabriel Magalhaes.
The Brazilian formed a solid partnership with Saliba before the Frenchman was injured and seems to have built so much credit at the club.
Former Watford man Troy Deeney believes Gabriel and other Arsenal defenders also did poorly against City. However, they were not as criticized as Holding was, suggesting it could be because he is English.
He writes in The Sun:
“I felt sorry for Rob Holding. He got the short end of the stick, even though Gabriel got bullied just as badly.
“Is it because Rob is English so we have to give him a bit more?
“Ben White was also poor. Oleksandr Zinchenko was awful. So, the abuse of Rob was strange, and he even ended up scoring.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Holding does not inspire confidence and most of us do not trust him because attackers find it easy to bully him.
Gabriel might have a bad game, but he is a solid defender who can be terrific for several games in a row.
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Personally, has nothing to do with nationality it’s to do with his continual poor decision making, positioning, passing which coupled with his lack of pace..he’s a good lad, like Chambers but simply not good enough….would he start at a top 8 team? no…
Please Gabriel Magalhaes has first half of season was atrocious. Error after error leading to goal.
People just have their favorites and have an agenda and are looking for an excuse.
I suggest these people look at themselves before throwing criticism at Holding for being a humble professional that does a job as back up.
If holding is that bad rather blame Arteta for not having an able back up. But people won’t do that to their messiah
Agree sws, Holding done no worse than others but they like a scapegoat.
I would have thought the time spent with Gabriel and White playing together would automatically make it the go-to partnership back there. Then just play Tierney at right back, City had all right footers in their backline, I’m sure Tierney could get away with it and he’d be adept at reading the cutback inside. Or like others mentioned we could’ve gone with a three-back formation, 343 maybe, or 351 at City. We needed Arteta to see things quickly.
Unfortunately Arteta has proved time and again he does not think quickly. He has a very slow thought process.
We learnt this with the Willan saga and not playing Martenelli until he had no option.
So many this he has done were forced.on him rather than being good at the job.
I think if Tomiyasu doesn’t get hurt that is what happens. Or if we didn’t sell Cedric believe it or not.
Hwe wouldn’t do that. It would be in his mind undermining his team’s confidence and conceding City were the Superior team, which wasn’t the case with Saliba playing or a different partner for Gabriel.
I think the team didn’t play well, why single out Holding?
1st goal could or should have been saved by Ramsdale.
City went through our midfield like hot knife through butter; what did Partey, Xhaka, or Odegaard do?
Neither White nor Zinchenko were pulling up trees either.
Lastly, where was the leadership from Odegaard, Partey, or Xhaka? Where was the grit and experience from Jesus and Zinchenko against City?
Holding is an easy target and some won’t admit the higher profile starters were trash against City. No one showed much fight or spine, they all seemed timid and meek.
Spot on Durand and Reggie – the fans need a scapegoat and Holding is the latest.
The team didn’t play well. A number of players were subpar including Holding. An additional issue with Holding is that he is generally not at the level of an elite defender in any case. His limitations were severely exposed against an elite forward.
Unfortunately for Holding our poor run has been with him in the side with Saliba our most high profile absentee. These have fuelled a negative narrative against Holding which of course is a tad unfair.
It’s not a matter of singling out anyone. There are few if any goals conceded solely because of one man ever.
But Rob Holding turns up in way too many of these situations because of a lack of athleticism (no pace whatsoever now and possibly the worst aerial defender I have ever seen given his size – look up Raheem Sterling’s header at the Emirates in the Covid days your blood will boil).
Holding also suffers from a lack of awareness positionally and finds himself constantly out of position either too far up or down the pitch (look at the second Southampton goal, and than the first and third City goal)
And holding is also hampered by a lack of awareness situationally always getting beat to balls played in the box a big centre back should never get beaten too (look at Southampton’s third and go back and look at that Sterling goal) He either gets out manouvered out jumped or doesn’t jump at all far too often (Go back to the Derby last year which killed our season watch the penalty gift they got. Holding just gets his hair to it it never ends up a pen -never even tries to jump).
Every central defender even the great ones will make a few howlers in their career. Rob Holding makes a few every year, and this year has made more than a few this month alone.
It’s like in maths – Holding is the common factor uin far too many conceded goals since he’s come into the team and this has been the case far too often since coming back from his injury layoff..
Where are the Fulham for today?
Just in case. I’m gonna screenshot the epl table and cherish the memories we had on top
*Fulham fans*
Oops, crappy defending from fulham and we are 2nd now
Rob Holding is not getting stick for being English. Obscenely bad defending from a lack of athleticism, instinct, and even desire has no nation of origin or language. It has no nationality or race. All it has is the pain it causes supporters.
Seriously Rob Holding has been so poor since replacing William Saliba that the most successful manager in the world now with the most effective attacking tactics in the world now actually changed those tactics specifically to exploit Rob Holding’s inadequacy and the Rob Holding-sized hole that was left in the center of our defence.
Rob Holding is not a bad defender because he’s English, he’s a bad defender because he has no real athleticism, even less positional awareness , and maybe even less competitive desire than any Arsenal central defender since 2006, which means we’re comparting him to Phillipe Senderos, Sebastien Squillaci, and Skrodan Mustafi, and least I checked none of them were English.
Rob Holding just stinks and it stinks even more that he was our only option when Saliba got hurt.
But Arteta has kept him and played him for 3 and a half years. Why if he was so bad, did Arteta change his tactics and give Holding help against probably the best striker in the world at the moment?
Didnt Arteta
Here’s the real question – why did Pep Guardiola the most successful manager for the most successful attacking side with most successful attacking tactics, who already beatus at our ground employing those tactics actually change his tactics for the Arsenal match last week?
Answer is simple because he knew Arsenal had a Rob Holding-sized hole in the centre of defence they could exploit and use to secure that victory
As to why Arteta didn’t change his tactics it was the reason Guardiola changed his. He knew Arteta would think the same way he would.
Meaning he knew Arteta would never undermine his team’s confidence especially now by changing tactics because he wouldn’t do that in the same spot.
Meaning he knew that with a more limted squad than his own Arteta would to pull multiple players out of the positions they have played all year (Move Partey to right back, move white to centre back and move Zinchenko into central midfield and bring in Tierney at left back or just bring in Jorginho to cover for Partey) on short notice because if he were in the same position he wouldn’t either.
Meaning he knew Arteta again with his limited squad would not drop Holding for Kiwior no matter what because again he wouldn’t either in the same position.
So he knew they were going to get Rob Holding and abandoned his tactics specifically to take advantage of Holding’s inadequacies and how they negatively impacted the rest of the Arsenal defence and midfield technically and tactically.
So it wasn’t a tactical masterclass as much as a textbook example of brilliant strategic thinking.by Guardiola.
Spot on analysis. I find depressing when even a respected fan such as Grandad defends the indefensible and plain woeful Holding. It is not about individual errors or not having them, but mainly about an all round lack of ability and pace which makes such a MASSIVE weakenening in defence when the superb SALIBA picked up the title losing injury that has IMO clearly been the KEY reason we have lost the title.
HAD Saliaba been fit and no Holding in the team, we would have had an extra six points from the three games prior to playing at City. I find it incredible rhat some Gooners constantly defend Holding, AND that he is even still at Arsenal after all this time.
Toi my mind he is the key weak link and massively weakens the team when he plays.
I like his loyalty and his attitude but I CANNOT STOMACH HIS POOR ABILITY.
To my mind, his LACK OF ALL ROUND ABILITY and pace is what actually MATTERS.
His nationality is a total red herring and ability or lack of it has no relation to what country you are born in or brought up in. It is irrelevant and nothing to do with WHY Holding is rank poor.
Agreeedd Jon, nicely put here.
But it’s not a red herring. The real issue here is people giving Rob Holding any excuse they can solely because he IS English.
Imagine if Kiwior plays and we het the same exact results last four matches. My guess is many of Holding’s defenders, who put more effort into defending him than Holding does the Arsenal goal, would not be nearly as quick or eager to defend Jakob or throw any other player under the bus but Jakob.
Seriously if Rob Holding wasn’t English, he’d be Philippe Senderos, Sebastien Squillaci, or Skrodan Mustafi, and no one on here was rallying to their defence I’m guessing.
And what about him smiliing and winking down 3-1 approaching stoppage time on the most paiful night of the last oh seven years?
Robinho from Rio, Robert McHolding from Glasgow, Roberto Holdino from Rome, Bobby O’Holding, Roberto Holdinez from Madrid, Bob Holding from a New Jersey suburb or Robert Holding from outside Paris(can’t find the French accent thing on my keyboard – oops)
Any of them play like Rob Holding at Arsenal and they stink
What a shocking rant from an Arsenal fan who seems completely oblivious to the numerous errors made by players other than Holding.Yet another so called supporter who cannot differentiate between perception and reality.In real terms our main defensive failures have been Ramsdale and Gabriel, closely followed by Zinchenko.
It was pretty shocking Grandad. Arteta insists on playing Rob so poor old Rob has to play. As I’ve just said to Martin, Kiwior should be the cover in Saliba’s absence whatever his better foot is. Apparently he’s supposed to be much stronger on one foot that the other. I was surprised when they bought him but assumed they knew what they were doing.
Bad Grandpa (JK good film)
But you’re wrong.
As I have said there are few if any goals conceded that are ever down to the fault of any one man.
The thing is Holding makes too many basic errors that gift too many easy chances and goals to the opposition. When you name the 2,3, 4 or even 5 guys who contribute to a goal being scored you will see Holding’s name far more often than other because he makes more mistakes than any other.
Plus he makes the key mistake way too often. Look at the first City goal. Why is Holding marking Haaland at mid-field? That’s just unnecessary and unnecessarily risky on its own. Then why does he back off Haaland and give him so much room to deliver the pass to DeBruyne in space who is running free there btw because the Holding going with Haaland opened up the space to make that run into.
I shouted oh shit before that pass even reached DeBruyne because you could see that was a goal from that moment Holding failed to stop the pass. Holding being too aggressive in the first instance then not aggressive enough in the second is what led to that goal.
Yes You can fault Partey Gabriel and Ramsdale and Zinchenko even but to pretend Holding’s lack of situational awareness and physical ability were not the decisive factors there you’re not seeing the game properly.
Same with City’s third. Oodegard starts this with an awful give-away but that’s still 40 yards out. Partey is making up ground and Gabriel is about to get in front of Haaland before he reaches the penalty area. Still Holding is focused on Gabriel and completely unaware that again his shading toward Haaland’s run opens the space for DeBruyne to run into and again once the pass is made and unchallenged that’s the goal even before the actual finish.
Holding doesn’t make howlers. He makes basic errors at the worst possible times. The kind of errors top professional defenders shouldn’t make with even the frequency he has just this month alone.
I feel bad for him honestly. He should have been gone after he cost us Champions League football last year with his utter self-immolation against s***s at their toilet (which began by the way with Holding failing to meet a cross any central defender his size should be ashamed of not meeting.). See he makes the same kind of errors over and over and in the worst possible moments. He is letting himself, his team, his teammates and every Arsenal supporter down.
The difference is he is doing that far more often than anyone else. Holding is not a scapegoat. He is the weakest link.
Martin, Rob Holding is not up to it, but it’s not his fault that MA keeps picking him. There must be some sort of problem with Kiwior that we don’t know about as he is a reasonably experienced player who by now could have been a starter.
Kiwior is , like Gabriel, a left footer and the prospect of them forming a balanced pairing is remote.Indeed to the best of my knowledge ,there has never been a successful LF combination in top class football.Spain experimented with such a set up , but they decided to play Rodri at right CB during the World Cup.
Granddad is right about Kiwior. He was brought in specifically as cover for Saliba. Unfortunately he flat out stunk against Sporting in the first leg, and that spooked Arteta, and he looked awful against Liverpool too in that late substitute appearance.
But I agree let’s see what the lad’s got. I mean now’s as good a time as any.
Grandad that’s an interesting bit of info. I’ve never heard that before. Are you sure that it’s true.
Blimey Spurs should be beating Liverpool with the chances they’ve had. Sorry, I digress. I’m going to find out more about LF combos (or the lack thereof).
I don’t believe that his lack of criticism is because he is not English, but rather because of the disastrous effect he has on our team’s overall play and ability to press in midfield. He tends to get too close to opposing players, allowing them to control the ball and turn freely. Additionally, he struggles to pass the ball effectively into the midfield and often slows down our attacking moves.
For me, Holding particularly did nothing wrong. Most fans just don’t like the man. He may not be in the same level with Saliba but, he always work very hard to give his best each time he’s call upon. Major culprits are Xhaka, Partey, Zinchenko, White and of course, Meghales. They are as guilty as Holding. So singling him out is a biased commentary.
God bless you man.
I can say it anywhere, If Saliba is on that pitch and not Gabriel, i know we won’t be this poor at the back either.
and if Gabriel and Holding were partners but not Zinchenko on that pitch, we won’t be that poor.
Why is it that White and Gabriel all of a sudden become poor after Saliba’s injury? This is because Saliba covers them most. and what is funny is that this set of fans are the one criticizing Saliba when we’re calling for him last season over White. This set of fans were saying White is better and has more EPL experience than him.
People shouting we should buy world class CB as if the CB will come here to sit on bench.
Even Saliba refuse to sit on bench and he’s not even yet worldclass.
Holding never ask Saka to lose a penalty against Westham (2 points dropped) never asked Zinchenko to be dribbed passed by TAA ( 2 points dropped) Never asked Ramsdale to pass to the Southampton guy (2 points dropped).
He made a mistake by letting Haaland control the ball but do you believe D bruyne has to work btw Partey and Gabriel before putting that ball pass Ramsdale?
The control and the penalty (which didn’t cost us) is the only error made by Holding.
but do you know how many errors made by Zinchenko, Gabriel, Partey and even Odegaard?
Saka has never been himself for some times now, Jesus was replaced by Trosaard in the team and we have never win a single match since then. Did Holding cause that too?
Do you seriously think Rob Holding wouldn’t negatively impact William Saliba’s performance? Seriously?
And Holding and Gabriel would do fine if Zinchenko wasn’t on the pitch? Seriously?
Wow. Just wow.
I think you’re right about the defense struggling since Saliba’s injury, but not necessarily because Saliba was covering all these errors they were making anyway. I think they have all be freer to focus on playing their roles with Saliba out there because he was playing so well in his. Saliba did his job that well and everyone else did their that well – and vice-versa
There was a unit cohesiveness with our back four that was completely destabilized when Saliba was injured and replaced by Holding. Because Holding does his job more poorly everyone else does their job more poorly – and vice-versa.
Look back at Liverpool’s first goal – as much a Rob Holding failure as the second was a Zincehenko failure.
Ramsdale did us no favors early against Southampton, but that ended 3-3 and guess what Holding’s errors were decisive in both the second and third goal especially.
And Holding didn’t cover himself in glory on City’s third or fourth goal if your honest about it.
How do you like or dislike someone you have never met?
I dislike the way he plays because that is ALL I KNOW about him and ALL THAT MATTERS to me.
Sorry for the CAPS but no bold or italics here.
This goes back to two to three years of Holding shockers all stemming from the same sorts of errors from a lack of athleticism or a lack of awareness on the pitch. Seriously look up “Raheem Sterling header at Arsenal” on youtube. The Clip is from 2020 and when you see it looks almost like match fixing Holding’s incompetence does. He is right where he should be as the ball is crossed in in front of Sterling and goal side and completely marking Sterling out and then just drops off him and lets him have a free header from about the penalty spot for the goal.
Then look at Southampton’s third ten days ago. Holding is well-placed for the near-post corner aimed almost directly at him and aware Lyanco is on the goal-line below him.
All he has to is step forward and win the header. Instead Holding remains static and whether he is even aware that Lyanco is rounding back of him is uncertain which should NEVER be the case, but by the time he realizes instead of stepping forward either to meet the ball or force Lyanco’s run out from under the ball he lets Lyanco make the run right where he wants to and to where the ball will arrive. We all know what happened next.
So Holding just doesn’t defend with sufficient controlled aggression, that is to see the situation and move first and strongest to deal with it, and hasn’t for years now.. Ask yourself would Tony Adams get caught out the WAY Holding did in those instances, or in any of the mistakes he made at City last week?
BTW today might just be the Spursiest thing I’ve Seen! Comedy Gold!
In addition, when Arsenal new Rob holding will be a problem, then sacrifice an attacker and bring in extra cover for Holding.so a lone striker and extra defensive proposition.