Alex Scott ripped into Unai Emery’s team selection for the 1-0 defeat against Everton.
The former Arsenal defender believed that the players picked out for the crucial away fixtures were not right for the quality of the opposition they faced on Sunday night.
He told Sky Sports, “I think playing a three at the back played into Everton’s hands today. They were exploiting those spaces in the channels.
“Then you’ve got the likes of Lacazette and Aubameyang, they’ve scored most of Arsenal’s goals. If you’re looking to start both of them, you’re pressing Everton high and taking the game to them.
“Here, they allowed Everton to play those balls. You could see they were growing in confidence every single time because Arsenal couldn’t get possession or get control of the ball. Everton fans were loving it because they looked totally in control.
“Then in the second half you’re chasing the game. You’ve got players like Mkhitaryan, they’re going for the ball but not reacting defensively. That’s why I’m frustrated because I think Arsenal could have started that way and then it’s a completely different game.”
Almost every Gunners fans arrived at the same conclusion after the Goodison Park fixture but one can only criticize the manager so much.
It was the player’s reluctance to put an admirable effort that might have swayed the game out of their hands. Not only did the team look unmotivated but their output on the pitch was quite clearly less inspiring than Everton’s.
Marco Silva’s men pressed and pressed with intent whereas spectators saw the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Shkodran Mustafi, Matteo Guendouzi make careless defensive errors.
See Also: Leno clueless on Arsenal’s poor away form
