Arsenal’s physicality and mental robustness have been questioned by a former Manchester United star following their 3-2 home defeat on Sunday
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have been labelled “weak” and “fragile” following Arsenal’s costly loss to Manchester United. The harsh critique came from former United centre-back Phil Jones, who didn’t hold back in his analysis of Sunday’s clash at the Emirates.
The 3-2 loss was the Gunners’ third successive league match without a victory and saw their advantage at the summit reduced to four points after a weekend where Manchester City and Aston Villa both secured wins. Gabriel and Saliba have been cornerstones of the Gunners’ backline in recent campaigns.
But Jones was taken aback by what he perceived as a “lack of a relationship between the two.” He believes they were affected by the nervousness he felt had spread among the home supporters.
Jones told the Sports Illustrated FC podcast: “I like Gabriel and Saliba, I think they have been top quality centre-halves, but it was the most fragile I have ever seen them at the weekend.
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“I thought they looked nervous. I thought there was a lack of a relationship between the two. They sensed a fear in the stadium, that anxiety.
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“They weren’t poor by any stretch but they looked fragile and a bit weak at times. It is the most fractious I have seen those two. You can sense that fear and desperation of wanting it so much, it is almost infectious. When United equalised, it ran through the team.”
Jones believed the Arsenal team as a whole lacked physical presence, particularly in midfield. Mikel Arteta seemingly shared this view, making four substitutions just shy of the hour mark, including withdrawing captain Martin Odegaard and fellow midfielder Martin Zubimendi, whose mistake had handed United their first-half leveller.
Jones continued: “I thought for big periods in the game they struggled physically and it is not something you would associate with Arsenal. Odegaard was overrun at times with United players in there and I could see the substitution coming.
“He didn’t really influence the game how he would have liked and struggled with the physical demands of the game.” Meanwhile, Gunners icon Patrick Vieira, speaking on Sky Sports, said there are “questions about the mental strength of the team.”
When asked to respond, Arteta replied: “That’s fine. We accept every opinion, where it’s coming from. They have the right reason to say it. At the end, we have to show the mental strength that we have on the pitch when it comes to a match day.”
With mounting pressure, the Gunners complete their Champions League league games at home to Kairat Almaty on Wednesday before a challenging Premier League trip to Leeds on Saturday.
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