ESR POTM as Arsenal Reserves Win Well - Player Ratings
By Merlion
April 4 2024
This game showed a vast gap in quality between Starting-11 and Reserve players.
A dramatic drop in quality in midfield and the passing game.
Arteta cannot afford to field this kind of team in remaining 8 league games with potential banana-skin in every league game now.
6 - Raya - okay with little to do. Why all of a sudden he is kicking more and more?
8 - White - superb as inverting FB and seems to play more in midfield than defending. Missed Saka for that Right-Side Triangle with telepathic passing amongst Odegaard-Saka-White.
8 - Saliba - nothing much to do and his imperious self as usual.
8 - Gabriel - his usual physical self and obsessed with keeping clean sheet. An organizer shouting at his fellow defenders.
5 - ZInchenko - awful defender and caught out of position as usual. Telegram his passes, so easily anticipated plus losuy freekick and hardly cleared the first defender. He did not synch with Back-4 and hesitant in his backpass almost giving a Luton player a free run at Raya. Just sell him in the summer. Took too many touches and slow down attacks.
7 - Partey - Getting sharper and sharper with more playing minutes.
7 - ESR - started with a bang and ended up with a whimper (actually got standing ovation when he was subbed, Editor). Does not have the Engine to last more than 75 minutes. Some superb movements but still not ready to nail a Starting-11 slot.
8 - Odegaard - what more can you said? Always playing a Captain's game.
6 - Trossard - usual busy self but hardly passed the ball first time and took too many passes. Not really a team player and obsessed with driving at defenders. Hey, it is only Luton, and like against Man City, he will frequently lose the ball or dispossess of it with his eyes down running at defenders.
8 - Havertz - MOTM. Getting better and better as a "half-forward" and as needed, runs like a no. 9 right between defenders. Getting his confidence back and had not seen him taking on defenders so frequently as in this game.
6 - Nelson - poor fairly anonymous game 0 nearly scored but the goal was scored by Luton defender
N/A - Substitutes - unable to rate them as none of them was outstanding or catch the eyes.
6 - Mikel Arteta - He got away with this gamble to field the Reserves. Please don't do that again. Bad for my heart. Especially apprehensive whenever Zinchenko received the ball in our half, dribbling and attempting passes. Plus, that Tippy-Tappy Football in our box is a recipe for disaster - one slip, one misplaced pass ....