Janusz Michallik has suggested that one Arsenal player was a lot poorer than he expected in the goalless draw with Manchester City on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s men missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League table. However, they will be able to take a lot of positives from the stalemate at the Etihad Stadium, particularly after the same fixture last season.
But Arsenal will also feel that they probably missed an opportunity to stake an even stronger claim for the title this term.
Gabriel Jesus will certainly feel frustrated that he did not score against his old side. Only Erling Haaland had more shots on goal than the Brazilian, according to Whoscored.
And he came agonisingly close to turning the ball home from close range during the second-half, but was unable to stretch enough to get a toe on a pass across the six-yard box.
Arsenal star criticised after ‘poor’ display against Manchester City
Jesus had not played more than half an hour in the league since January before starting on Sunday. Nevertheless, speaking on ESPN, Janusz Michallik suggested that he was the player who stood out to him for having an underwhelming game.
“Gabriel Jesus, I thought he was poor against his old team. There was that one chance, and the one combination that we actually saw between Odegaard and Saka, I don’t know if you remember when Saka got to the byline maybe for the first time and played it across the six-yard box, and it was a sliding effort from Gabriel Jesus at the far post,” he said.
“He was frustrated, he wasn’t happy to come off, but he certainly didn’t do what I expected him to do in a big game like this. I think he could’ve been a hero so that’s an issue on that right-hand side because Martinelli, injury aside, hasn’t been maybe the same as the start of the season.”
Gabriel Jesus now a victim of his own success at the Emirates
Jesus’ performance, in many ways, summed up his time at Arsenal so far.
There is no question that Arsenal were elevated by signing the 26-year-old. He is someone who had won Premier League titles with Manchester City before his switch. And it quickly became apparent that he was a perfect focal point for the way the Gunners wanted to play.
But he has not been the prolific goalscorer the Gunners have lacked. He has scored 19 goals in 60 games in all competitions, including 15 in 46 Premier League appearances.
Jesus has definitely played his part in taking Arsenal into title contention. But he is potentially a victim of his own success as the Gunners now possibly need something more to take that next step.
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