“He had fewer touches than David Raya, lost 75% of duels and was very ‘awful’ in the attacking third, he won’t play for this club again”- Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal man to get a new club by January after his awful performance agains Lens last night

Arsenal: £27m star who had fewer touches than Raya could ‘worry’ Arteta

The Gunners fell to a disappointing defeat last night, with one man underperforming

Arsenal fell to a shock defeat on the road on Tuesday night, as they could not follow up their emphatic Champions League curtain-raiser with another fine performance.

Instead, in front of a hostile French atmosphere, Mikel Arteta saw his men whimper to a disappointing 2-1 loss against RC Lens.

What went wrong for Arsenal vs RC Lens?

In a game that came down to the respective cutting edge each side boasted in front of goal, despite the Gunners taking the lead, a string of squandered chances afforded their hosts the opportunity to turn the game around.

As such, goals either side of half time saw them sneak in front, and despite boasting 67% of the ball and raining down 11 shots on goal, the north London side could not find a response.

The clash was also marred by the injury to Bukayo Saka, who had been a doubt for the past few fixtures but remained ever-present. Last night proved a step too far, and despite assisting the opener, the England international was withdrawn after 34 minutes.

Thus instigated Arteta’s big issue, as his replacement, Fabio Vieira, narrowed their formation aggressively. Both he and Leandro Trossard were desperate to come to feet for possession rather than spin in behind and stretch the stubborn hosts, and as such once he was brought on, their attack was largely blunted.

How did Leandro Trossard play vs RC Lens?

Starting on the left flank, it was a decidedly anonymous display from the former Brighton and Hove Albion man, who many expected and hoped would start, to replicate his Champions League form from their PSV Eindhoven clash.

Having scored and assisted in that emphatic 4-0 win, the 28-year-old could not have posted a more differing display last night, with his lack of influence emphasised due to the fact that even goalkeeper David Raya enjoyed more touches of the ball (32 v 52).

However, that was not all that underpinned a torrid night for Trossard, who remained profligate with what little possession he did enjoy.

Although it was far from a vintage performance from Arsenal, the £27m trickster could have put the game to bed with a golden opportunity, which he squandered. The winger received the ball from Kai Havertz inside the penalty area before chopping back onto his right foot and sticking a tame effort at Brice Samba. Then, to make matters worse, the £90k-per-week dud would go on to lose 75% of the eight duels he competed in, outlining a lack of physicality to match such a disastrous night.

Emphasising this disappointment further, the words of journalist Dan Kilpatrick stand as supporting evidence, who wrote the following before handing him a dismal 4/10 rating following the match: “Might have done better from close range but his shot was tame and easily saved. Faded and replaced.”

Writer Phil Costa would then seek to outline that aforementioned narrowness issue, suggesting that should such a trend continue it could pose a worry for him and Arteta: “Our offensive distances were too big and I worry now with Trossard and Vieira wide – both who want the ball into feet – about being able to stretch the game.”

Whilst hardly likely to curtail their entire Champions League campaign, the Spanish tactician will quickly want to figure out where the issues stemmed from and put them right. After all, he can afford hiccups at this stage, but if he is serious about challenging for elite honours, such a tactical and technical shocker cannot be afforded later on in the competition.