ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has torn into Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s coaching staff for ‘meddling’ with one playing during yesterday’s defeat to Aston Villa.
The north London side suffered their most damming defeats of the season to date as former manager Unai Emery came back to haunt Arsenal with a 2-0 win for Villa, with the Spanish coach celebrating like a madman during the game.
With Manchester City winning on Saturday, there’s a real chance that Arsenal might have blown their shot at winning the Premier League, with the north London side getting many things wrong on Sunday against Villa.
And Nicol was critical over one decision Mikel Arteta made on Sunday.
Arteta slammed over Kai Havertz change in Arsenal’s loss vs Aston Villa
Speaking on ESPN FC, the former Liverpool man was baffled over why Kai Havertz played in midfield despite enjoying plenty of success in recent weeks as a striker, even if the German international won some praise from critics.
Nicol said about Havertz’s position being changed: “I would love to know if anybody on Arsenal’s coaching staff turned around and said to Arteta ‘why don’t we leave Havertz where he is?’
“He’s the guy who’s been putting the ball in the back of the net, why don’t we leave him up there? Why are we changing? We’re on a great run of form, he’s in a great run of form, he’s scoring goals, and when’s been played in the middle of the park, he hasn’t done a good job for us.
“Has anybody on Arsenal’s coaching staff got the stomach to turn around to Arteta and say ‘gaffer, I think you’re making a mistake.’ I don’t understand why you take somebody who is in the best form for goodness knows how long, and you move them. That’s meddling if you ask me.”
Arsenal got plenty wrong in must-win Premier League game
From questionable starting XI decisions to weird substitutes to Martin Odegaard’s injury, anything and everything seemed to have gone wrong for Arsenal on Sunday against Villa.
With Liverpool losing earlier in the day, a home tie against Villa should have been used as motivation for Arsenal to go out there against Emery’s side and to get a big win in the Premier League title race.
Yet with City winning and Arsenal losing, there’s a real chance that the north London side might never go top again this season, such is the immense force of the Manchester giants and what they’re capable of.
