Arsenal's title challenge officially ended after defeat to Nottingham Forest, but which players should take the bulk of the blame for bottling their best chance to win the Premier League in over a decade?
Arsenal lost the Premier League title to Manchester City after months of leading the way. At one point, the Gunners led by as many as 11 points, and although City had games in hand, it looked as though the momentum could not be halted.
After Saturday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest, Mikel Arteta’s side have officially surrendered the PL title to Manchester City, who smelled blood and never looked back.
We highlight five players to blame for the unforgivable collapse.
1 . Bukayo Saka
It seems absurd to blame a player who has excelled this season and could very well be named to the PL team of the year. However, when it mattered most, he was nowhere to be found.
One goal in his last nine league games speaks volumes of his shocking drop off and his sub-par performances coincided with the Gunners collapse.
2. Granit Xhaka
He started the season brilliantly but faded like the rest of his teammates. Almost unforgivable considering he is one of the most experienced players at Arteta’s disposal.
He will leave the club this summer, but it is hard to imagine him remembering this season fondly.
3. Thomas Partey
Yet another one of the experienced heads who fell away when he needed to stand up and be counted. Countless poor performances followed what had been an excellent season up to that point.
23:41 - 18.05.2023
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He eventually lost his place in the starting lineup but the damage had already been done
4. Gabriel Jesus
For all of his skill and endeavor, Gabriel Jesus is just not clinical enough to lead a team to the promised land. His catalogue of missed chances goes on and on, and Mikel Arteta must seriously consider bringing in a top-level goal scorer to supplement the Brazilian if Arsenal aim to push on next season.
5. Rob Holding
Arsenal’s collapse somewhat coincided with the injury to first choice defender William Saliba. Rob Holding was asked to step in, and he did an atrocious job. The Gunners began to leak goals for fun, most notably at the Etihad, losing 4-1.
He was eventually dropped, but once again, the damage had been done.
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