Angry Merson states why Arteta should have respected Arsenal cup defence
Former England midfielder Paul Merson confessed he was at a loss to explain Mikel Arteta’s team selection for Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Southampton.
The Gunners were beaten 1-0 at St Mary’s on Saturday, with Gabriel’s 24th-minute own goal the difference between the sides.
The scoreline does not tell the shole story, however, with Arsenal way off the pace for the first hour. They did rally towards the end of the match but it was too little too late.
Arteta chose to field a weakened team despite his side being the holders. The Spanish tactician made seven changes from Monday’s 3-0 win over Newcastle.
Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and Alexandre Lacazette were benched, while Emile Smith Rowe and Kieran Tierney played no part. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was absent due to a personal issue.
Saints dominated the first half and could easily have been further ahead at the break. Willian provided the visitors’ only real spark as the likes of Mohamed Elneny, Nicolas Pepe and Eddie Nketiah failed to impress.
They had chances deep into the second period but were well beaten in the end. Merson was left flummoxed by the players selected and voiced his opinions on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday.
“I don’t know what he’s doing,” he said. “They are not going to win the league. They are not going to get into the top four, I wouldn’t have thought, unless they go on one of the best runs in the history of the Premier League.
“For me, this is the [competition] that made Arteta last time around. He came to Arsenal and had a great semi-final and a great final.
“Honestly, I cannot believe it. This was a more important game than the midweek league game, in my opinion. They are not getting relegated and they are not getting in the top four.”
The Gunners travel back to the south coast on Tuesday to face Southampton in the league.
Arteta backs choices
Arteta refused to accept that the side he put out was not strong enough to win the game. After a dreadful run of results, the north Londoners have rallied in recent weeks, winning four of five in the league.
An FA Cup run could have maintained that momentum but it was not to be. However the manager defended the decision to rotate his players and felt they had the right to a run-out.
“I think it was a very strong line up because I have full belief in my players and they deserved to play,” he said after the match. “They have done it on many occasions and against the top opponents as well, so this cannot be the excuse.”
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