Troy Deeney says two Arsenal players went ‘missing’ vs Newcastle United after Mikel Arteta trusted them

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Arsenal were left frustrated after Newcastle United beat them 2-0 in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.

The Gunners went strong and created more chances than the visitors. But, they failed to find the back of the net and Newcastle punished them.

Goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon gave Newcastle the win in the first leg, and they should be really happy with their performance at the Emirates.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have a lot of work to do, and one Mikel Arteta mistake is being criticised by many people in the footballing world.

Troy Deeney blasts Mikel Arteta’s striker decision at Arsenal

Arsenal have been in need of a prolific striker since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was banished from the side back in 2021.

Arteta deserves a lot of praise for how he has built his side. They have one of the best defences in the world, while their midfield is not too bad either.

However, their problem has always been in their attack in recent seasons, and that was once again the reason why the Gunners failed against Newcastle United.

Arsenal created six big chances on Tuesday night and had 23 shots. That, however, didn’t result in a single goal, and Troy Deeney has pointed the finger at three people.

The first is Arteta because he has not signed a new striker over the last two years. The other two are Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus – Deeney feels Arteta has put his trust in them but every time there is a crunch situation like against Newcastle, he feels they go ‘missing’.

He said on CBS Sports after the game: “The one problem we threw at Arsenal’s door for the last two years – they need a striker. Every year Mikel chooses not to do that.

“He goes with Gabby (Jesus) and now he goes Havertz. They think they can do it, but in the crunch time, those guys go missing and that’s what happened today.”

Arsenal already know which striker they should sign

Arsenal have been linked with a number of attackers over the last two years.

From Dusan Vlahovic to Benjamin Sesko, Arteta has had his eye on several top-class centre-forwards who could take the Gunners to a whole new level.

As good as Sesko and Vlahovic are, the perfect striker for Arsenal is Isak. The Swede showed that at the Emirates as he helped Newcastle beat Arsenal.

In the same game, if Isak had played for Arsenal instead of the Magpies, we’re convinced that the Gunners would’ve won the game 4-0.

That is the sort of striker Arsenal should target, but unfortunately, we just can’t see Isak moving to the Emirates in the winter window.