Journalist Charles Watts has now called out Mikel Arteta for one mistake the Arsenal manager made against Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta got many of the big calls right against Manchester City.
The Spanish coach clearly set his Arsenal team up with a very clear game-plan. The Gunners were willing to sit deep and soak up pressure, ensuring above all that they did not lose this match.
This part of the plan came off without a hitch. The north London club put on a defensive masterclass. Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba bullied Erling Haaland, whilst Declan Rice stopped Kevin De Bruyne from effectively pulling the strings for the hosts.
As a result, Arsenal were able to claim a valuable point against the reigning Premier League champions. This marked the first time that Arsenal have managed to avoid defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium since 2016.
Bukayo Saka misfires for Arsenal against Man City
However, going forward themselves, the visitors were largely toothless. Gabriel Martinelli was unfit to start due to an injury, but Bukayo Saka was named in the starting line-up.
The Hale End academy graduate was far from his best on the night, though. The winger looked to be far from fully fit and he lacked sharpness. This may not have come as a huge surprise as Saka was a fitness doubt heading into this match, after he succumbed to injury during the recent international break.
Even so, Arsenal fans were not impressed by what they saw from Saka against Manchester City. With the England star failing to fire on all cylinders, and with Martinelli already missing, the Gunners lacked much of the pace they needed to drive them up the pitch in an effective counter-attacking fashion when they did get the ball.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka from his age, parents and house
Charles Watts takes aim at Mikel Arteta decision
Charles Watts now feels that it was misguided to start Saka in this match in the first place. Speaking on his Inside Arsenal Youtube channel, the reporter gave his verdict of Arteta’s management of this game, saying, “obviously what he [Arteta] did, how he set the team up, was brilliant and it worked. He deserves a lot of credit for that, how well drilled he got the team to see off Manchester City for that ninety minutes. But, I think actually…I just thought his decision to play Saka didn’t work. I thought it was a gamble. I can understand why he did it but I just didn’t think it worked, I thought it ended up hurting Arsenal a little bit.”
Seemingly, Arteta too felt that Saka was below par, as he hauled him off before the final whistle. This is notable, as the talismanic Arsenal attacker is seldom hooked from the action whilst the outcome of a match remains in the balance.
After the final whistle, Arteta addressed his decision to take Saka off, allaying any fears of a serious injury and insisting that the player was simply “fatigued.”
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