Arsenal lost to Aston Villa on Sunday, and the two goals the Gunners conceded were at least partially down to defensive mistakes.
Indeed, Leon Bailey’s run to the back post wasn’t tracked at all for the opener, while Ollie Watkins was given the freedom of the Emirates to score on the break for the second goal.
Watkins ran pretty-much the length of the pitch unchallenged to score the second goal.
There was one Arsenal player who was tracking Watkins’ run, but speaking on Premier League Productions, Owen Hargreaves has questioned the defensive abilities of Emile Smith Rowe.
Emile Smith Rowe is too slow defensively
Hargreaves spoke about the 23-year-old and his inability to catch Watkins on the counter-attack.
“The second goal summed it up. The second goal can’t happen, Smith Rowe is there chasing Watkins on his own and he’s not the quickest. You need to be in your shape and you need to have someone there,” Hargreaves said.
Why was Emile Smith Rowe in that position?
Hargreaves is spot on, Smith Rowe isn’t the fastest and wasn’t able to stop Watkins here, but the bigger issue is why Smith Rowe was the one tasked with stopping this counter-attack.
Other than perhaps Jorginho, there may not be a player in this Arsenal squad worse-equipped to stop a counter than Smith Rowe. He’s not fast, he’s not strong and he’s not known to be a tough tackler who gets stuck in either.
Something went seriously wrong here for Arsenal as their attacking midfielder was the man desperately trying to stop one of the most clinical strikers in the Premier League in the final minutes of a game that, ultimately, could cost Arsenal the title.
We know it was a desperate moment, but Arsenal can’t afford to get caught in a situation like this again where Smith Rowe is the last man at the back.
The post ‘Not the quickest’: Owen Hargreaves suggests 23-year-old Arsenal player is a bit too slow defensively appeared first on TBR Football.