Well, that was just what Arsenal didn’t need.
After absolutely blowing Manchester City away in the Premier League on Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side went into the second leg of the League Cup semi-final away to Newcastle United optimistic about their chances of overturning their 2-0 deficit.
Instead, the North Londoners wilted in the intense atmosphere and saw the aggregate score extend to 4-0 despite having a couple of chances early on.
There were poor performances across the pitch from the starters, but it would probably be fair to say that two stood out for all the wrong reasons, one of which was Kai Havertz.
Kai Havertz performance vs Newcastle
Yes, instead of ending the game with a brilliantly taken goal and an assist to his name like on Sunday, Havertz came away from St James’ Park empty-handed, with more doubts about his long-term place in this team.
Unlike Alexander Isak at the other end of the pitch, the German international was incredibly ineffective throughout and seemed to be looking for a foul more than a goalscoring opportunity.
Equally unimpressed with the former Chelsea forward was football.london’s Tom Canton, who gave him a 4/10 match rating at full-time, and while that might sound harsh, his statistics from the night suggest it might even be too kind.
|
Havertz’s game in numbers |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
94′ |
|
Shots on Target |
0 |
|
Shots off Target |
0 |
|
Dribbles (Successful) |
1 (0) |
|
Passing Accuracy |
11/18 (61%) |
|
Crosses (Accurate) |
2 (0) |
|
Long Balls (Accurate) |
2 (0) |
|
Duels (Won) |
11 (3) |
|
Lost Possession |
20 |
|
Fouls Committed |
3 |
|
Yellow Cards |
1 |
For example, in his 94 minutes of action, the Aachen-born forward failed to have a single shot on or off target, failed 100% of his attempted dribbles, completed just 11 passes, failed in 100% of his crosses and long balls, lost eight of 11 duels, committed three fouls, lost the ball 20 times and picked up a yellow card.
In short, it was a shambolic showing from Havertz, and with Isak bossing proceedings for the hosts, another reminder of how badly this team needs a new centre-forward option in the summer.
However, as poor as he was, in an unexpected turn of events, the usually unflappable William Saliba was just as bad.
William Saliba’s performance vs Newcastle
Yes, even though Arsenal going out of the competition was always the most likely outcome of the game following on from the first leg, few would have expected Saliba to have looked as lost at sea as he did.
Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, the French international has been the rock upon which most of the Gunners’ best performances have been built, and even when the team do lose or draw, he usually ends up looking mediocre at worst, but not last night.
Instead, the 23-year-old looked like a deer in headlights and was run ragged by Isak and Anthony Gordon all game, so much so that The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid justifiably described it as his “worst performance in an Arsenal shirt.”
Tom Canton was just as unimpressed with the Bondy-born star, giving him a 4/10 match rating and writing that it was an ‘uncharacteristic’ showing from him and that he was ‘caught time and time again.’
Once again, it’s an opinion that is more than supported by the player’s dismal statistics, as in 94 minutes, he made an error that led to a shot, lost the ball 11 times, maintained a passing accuracy of just 82%, failed in 100% of his long balls and lost 100% of his ground duels.
|
Saliba’s game in numbers |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
94′ |
|
Errors Leading to a Shot |
1 |
|
Lost Possession |
11 |
|
Passing Accuracy |
40/49 (82%) |
|
Long Balls (Accurate) |
2 (0) |
|
Ground Duels (Won) |
2 (0) |
|
Fouls Committed |
1 |
|
Yellow Cards |
1 |
Ultimately, it was a bad day at the office for the entire Arsenal team, but it was especially dire for Havertz and Saliba, who now need to bounce back in a big way in the next game.
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