Arsenal’s four most ambitious hopes this season are now on hold.
Indeed, at one point this campaign, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were dreaming of four prestigious trophies, but now they are clinging to the hope of two after losing the EFL Cup final to Manchester City and being humiliated in the FA Cup at Southampton.
Tonda Eckert’s Saints pulled off a major shock in the quarter-final stages of the prestigious competition, as Ross Stewart and Shea Charles guided the Championship outfit to a memorable win at the expense of the Premier League leaders.
Many Arsenal players had unsatisfactory shifts at St. Mary’s, as the proud team looks down on its lower league rivals.
Great underclassmen for Arsenal vs Saints
While Eckert and Co applauded at the final whistle, Arsenal’s players and Arteta looked shocked, as they retreated down the tunnel at the end of the 2-1 defeat.
In the end, it was the deficit of the whole field, Stewart’s opening field showing the rustiness of the likes of Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White at the back, as the latter ended up looking on when the Scotsman hit the first ball.
Winning one duel all night, Arsenal’s number four will not look back on this trip to the South Coast with much fondness.
In addition, Gabriel Jesus will soon be removed from North London, as he managed two poor efforts on Daniel Peretz’s goal midway through the game.
To make matters worse, Viktor Gyokeres – who must have looked a bit tired from international duty – managed to score a goal with just 30 minutes to play, when Jesus was put out of his misery.
Max Dowman was the one rare bright light for the Gunners, as the 16-year-old finished with five goals, but his power alone was not enough to prevent a cup upset from happening.
While Arteta will continue to choose his number 56, he should forget to use one player who is becoming another Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arsenal’s new Zinchenko
When Zinchenko first joined Arsenal from Manchester City, it was exciting to watch as a different defender to Arteta.
His first season in North London saw him go about his business in a different way, with the Ukrainian showing coolness with the ball at his feet, evidenced by an 88% pass accuracy in the 2022/23 season.
But, as time went on, the 29-year-old would be exposed for his weaknesses, as he struggled to make his mark at left-back. Indeed, his last Premier League campaign in the red of Arsenal saw him win 1.6 weak duels in each league match, leading to his promotion.
Myles Lewis-Skelly may succumb to the same fate, as the Arsenal defender who once left Ian Wright “amazed” by his ability on the ball – with a pass accuracy of 94% last season in the top flight – looked weak and unsure against the Championship hosts.
|
Lewis-Skelly vs Southampton |
|
|---|---|
|
Mathematics |
Lewis-Skelly |
|
Minutes played |
60 |
|
Goals were scored |
0 |
|
It helps |
0 |
|
To touch |
36 |
|
Shots |
0 |
|
Accurate passes |
25/28 (89%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Accurate crosses |
0/1 |
|
Successful dribbles |
1/1 |
|
Knockdown won |
0 |
|
Duels won |
3/4 |
Another flat game was handed to the uncertain 19-year-old, who has been given just one start in a long time in the Premier League, with Lewis-Skelly failing to get forward and engage the midfielder, as he was seen trying to shoot a zero into Peretz’s net.
He just tries a dribble and a single cross, and the youngster, who was once described as Arsenal’s captain by Arsenal Insider Hand of Arsenal, looks lost now in an inverted full-back role, with a midfield role perhaps better suited to him, to get the most out of his various abilities.
Like Zinchenko, who holds the ball in midfield, he looks like a millionaire but doesn’t have it anymore and when he’s forced to defend that’s where the real problems lie. That underlines why Arteta doesn’t trust him to start many games this season.
A chance to start more often, however, does not look like it will come, as Arteta will not be tempted, with the Premier League title on the line.
With Manchester United reportedly keen on Lewis-Skelly’s signature, the 19-year-old may have to leave his youth club to succeed again, as his poor performance was one of the disappointing takeaways from the 2-1 defeat at South Coast.
Shame on Dowman: £45m flop must never play for Arsenal again
Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup at the hands of lower league side Southampton.
