Jamie Redknapp has criticised Ben White for his defending of Southampton’s equalising goal.
Arsenal dropped points against a stubborn Saints side after failing to score another goal to secure the points.
William Saliba’s emergence has forced Ben White to play as a right-back this season.
He has done so impeccably well for most of this campaign, but he made a mistake for the Saints’ goal and Redknapp called him out for it.
He said via Express Sports:
“We were saying with Saliba and Gabriel as the two centre-backs, Ben White gets drawn across and he doesn’t know whether to run across,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“He comes across and there he’s a centre-back, you’ve got to stay as a centre-back, he sees him too late and by that time it’s a goal. Southampton deserved it. Showed great character, under a lot of pressure, I thought they were impressive in the second half and deserved it.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Now is not the time to blame anyone for the draw because the whole team were not in top shape in this game.
The players must rest well and prepare to enter the next game and play more decisively.
We never expected not to drop points again, but we must not allow the setback to hold us back.
This team can learn from its mistakes as it did after losing at Manchester United and we expect it to be back to form when we play again.
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Very poor 2nd half. Slow and sloppy. 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-1 now. Jesus golden patch ls over and was bullied throughout by the cb.
With energy levels dropping so is team quality
We should not single out any player for the goal or the lost, the core of the team were not mentally or physically up a hundred.
The gaffer must learn fast we cannot play the core of the team relentlessly..
With everyone around us dropping points left right and center.
Barring Man city, it feels as if the league is conspiring to give us the big jug.
We dropped our tempo after the early because it looked oije it was going to be an easy game. We could easily have won in the 1st half but got complacent.
For me Takahuro Tomiyasu did not give us that width we needed on the left wing and didn’t close his opponent enough but when fresh this team is a marvel going forward.
Joy to watch.
We will bounce against Nottingham Forest.
FORTRESS EMIRATES STADIUM
Dennis you are right, this is the type of game for Zinchenko not Tomi or Tierney.
But the team is drain physically, and that affects one mentally too especially in an high intensity league as this.
Given the condition of the team, maybe the only way to win today was to hit them hard and early with two or three early goals in the first thirty minutes and manage the game after, but this would require us to be clinical and take our chances.
The depth of the squad is too thin, a game like this need a number six to hold up play and dictates it, we are over reliant on a tired Partey who is a great player none the less.
A herd a fan today saying this game today felt like the latter of Wenger years, what the fan may not be aware is Nazari left us for Man city and claim he was overplayed by Wenger.
But we will bounce back, but the gaffer must learned fast, this group of players needs rest.
Tomiysau at right back not working, Tierney on the bench not working, White at right back, not working. Nkeitah as a forward not working. Jesus has been guilty of some poor finishing in the last five games. The players look burnt out, only Martinelli seems to have the energy. It is our bogey ground, Ramsdale should have come out a tad quicker, he seems to stay rooted sometimes to his line. Playing some of the players in every game is crazy. The WC is having an effect on all games, but Arteta needs to be smart and rest some of the players, but he will play some of the players on Thursday, and Forest could be a potential banana skin.
Very easy to criticise from the comfort of your home. Some of those first team players needs rest.
It could be burnout but I felt that the ref looked kindly at some if the Saint tackles.
I felt that Arsenal shd have been awarded at least apenalty when Saka or Gabriel was shoved.
I have see them given
Things to blame.
1) Officiating. I think in a sane game the Southampton Centre back consistently fouling Jesus should have had two yellow cards and Arsenal should have had a couple of freekick in dangerous positions. The CB aggressiveness was over the top even for Southampton.
2) Odegard for not complaining enough about the foul on Jesus.
3) Odegard and Jesus especially for not converting their big chances.
On the equalising goal those to blame are
1) Ben White for letting through the initial ball.
2) Tomiyasu. It was three on three, if he ran towards the attacking player rather than backtracking he could have forced him wide or force him to play a poorly timed pass.
3) Gabriel and Saliba, one of them should have read the run of the goal scorer, again to disrupt him and force him wide, while the other races towards the line for any potential goal-line clearance, I can’t explain what they were doing, it wasn’t even man marking, as the other Southampton players had space in the box.
4) Ramsdale, if it was Chelsea’s Kepa that goal would have been saved. I think if he stayed on his line a little longer, He gives himself a better opportunity to save the ball, his decision to come out meant he expected the striker to take an extra touch before shooting, the striker didn’t and bam goal. Both options should be in his mind, he can not just assume on thing most of the time, to his credit most strikers would have opted for an extra touch.