[ad_1]
Arsenal’s resurgence came to a halt on Thursday night as the Gunners played a lackluster draw with Crystal Palace.
Mikel Arteta’s men have won four straight Premier League and FA Cup games ahead of their clash with Palace, but have been unable to find a way to overtake Roy Hodgson’s men.
The Gunners are now six points behind the top six after playing one more game, but European places could be out of reach this season if Gary Lineker’s verdict stands.
Lineker tweeted after the game: “There was an appearance of mediocrity in the middle of the table about this game,” with a sleepy emoji, perhaps summing up the general reaction of those who listened perfectly.
Video unavailable
Much of Arsenal’s problems have been in the creativity department this season after performing rather well defensively.
But that’s nothing new for Gunners technical director Edu Gaspar, who was well aware of the problems Arteta’s men face long before Lineker revealed his boredom.
“What we need is pretty clear,” Edu said at an Arsenal fan forum last month. “We need a player with creativity in the middle, we don’t have that in the team at the moment.
“As a Brazilian, I am very open. I am not afraid to say things. We are not comfortable in this situation. Every club has problems.
Arsenal have been rather clear that they are looking for a creative midfielder this month, although progress is slow amid talks about the transfer of Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia.
The Canaries are said to want around £ 40million for their star man and the Gunners are keen to cut that with a player swap.
Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt has also been mentioned as a potential target, but it looks like the German will stay put now.
One thing is clear, however, and that is that Arsenal know the problem they have and are desperate to fix it to prevent more performances from looking like ‘mid-table mediocrity’.
[ad_2]
Source link
