"Never there when it matters most", "Perennial bottle merchants" - Fans blast Arsenal duo for their performance in 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa
Arsenal fans on X have criticized Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard after they failed to make an impact in their shock 2-0 loss to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners failed to take advantage of Liverpool losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace earlier today (April 14), as Unai Emery completed the league double over his former club.
Aston Villa defended well before striking late through Leon Bailey (84') and Ollie Watkins (87') to secure all three points. Arsenal are now second in the Premier League standings with 71 points from 32 games, two points behind Manchester City.
Fans slammed Saka and Odegaard for their performances against the Villans. The former failed to register a shot on target from four attempts, completed zero dribbles and long balls, and lost five duels. Odegaard didn't have the desired impact in midfield either, losing four duels and also not landing a single shot on target.
One fan posted:
"What service? Saka, Odegard perennial bottle merchants"
Another fan wrote:
"Saka and Odegaard are never there when it matters most"
"Xhaka must be laughing at Odegaard and saka dem"
Other fan reactions can be viewed below:
"It's that simple, we need to forgo the UCL, we are not winning it, period. Saka Odegaard & co are worn out", one fan boldy claimed.
"Saka - poor, Odegaard- exhausted, Zinny- hmm, Arteta- probably regrets the starting line up, Martinelli- been questionable lately with his kick and run football", one fan evaluated.
"Saka and Odegaard when they are needed the most...", another fan pondered.
"Bukayo saka has done his trademark limp after a stinker yet again", one fan noticed.
"Saka today. 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 shots on target, 14 times possession lost. “Starboy”", another fan wrote.
"You cannot build a team around Bukayo Saka and expect to achieve big things. He’s doesn’t have that star magic that players like Foden have, and more importantly, he lacks the technical ability to be an impactful player when his team is having a bad day up front", one fan posted.
How did Arsenal fare in their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa?
Arsenal were left shellshocked after Aston Villa completed a Premier League double over them for the third time after the 1992-93 and 2020-21 seasons with a 2-0 win on Sunday. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed:
Arsenal edged the Villans on possession with 51 percent of the ball. They also attempted 444 passes with an accuracy of 86 percent, while Aston Villa had 49 percent possession and attempted 421 passes with an accuracy of 82 percent.
Arsenal also looked more threatening in attack, landing 18 shots in total with four being on target, however, they weren't clinical enough. On the other hand, Villa had 11 shots, mustering two on target.