Gary Lineker was ‘surprised’ by one decision Mikel Arteta made yesterday after Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa.
The Basque coach endured one of his toughest results of the season to date as Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League record in 2024 finally came to an end, with Unai Emery’s side scoring two late goals to come with a big win in north London.
With Martin Odegaard also coming off with a potential injury, the game could not have gone any worse for Arsenal, with Kai Havertz also being slated by pundits having been shifted back into midfield with Gabriel Jesus leading the line.
And Lineker was surprised with one more decision Arteta made yesterday against Villa.
Lineker ‘surprised’ Jorginho didn’t start for Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, the England legend stated his surprise at Jorginho not starting for Arsenal, with the Italian proving to be a great option for the Gunners in games against big teams.
However, for one reason or another, Arteta made the decision to drop Havertz back into the midfield alongside Declan Rice and Odegaard, a decision that arguably cost Arsenal three points in what was a must-win game.
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Lineker said: “I was really surprised he didn’t play Jorginho because he’s been really good, ad it allows Rice to march more forward and he’s very good at running with the ball and breaking between the lines.
“So I was quite surprised. I saw Paul Merson who was on before the game that he thought it was a mistake, and that was before the game, which is fair play to him.”
Mikel Arteta’s decisions should be questioned by pundits
Arteta has made some odd tactical decisions this season that have ultimately led to Arsenal being as good as they are this year, yet yesterday was a rare off day for the former Manchester City coach.
From dropping Havertz back into midfield to Jorginho not being named in the XI, Arteta’s decisions should be questioned by pundits as well as fans, who might feel the Arsenal manager overthought his selection.
Indeed, Arsenal threw away a golden chance to make another Premier League title statement, yet instead, the race could now be over with City sitting top of the standings.