“We won’t win the league” - Piers Morgan highlights ‘ridiculous’ Arsenal farce after defeat to Newcastle
British broadcaster Piers Morgan pointed fingers at Mikel Arteta's decision to persist with Kai Havertz after Arsenal's Premier League defeat at Newcastle United on Saturday (November 4).
The Gunners suffered a 1-0 loss at St. James' Park, with a controversial strike from Anthony Gordon being the difference maker. The ball seemed to have gotten out of play in the build-up, and Gabriel Magalhaes was pushed inside the area. VAR, though, awarded the goal to the Magpies, who won three massive points.
While Morgan slammed the technology's role in the build-up, he also blamed Arteta for sticking with Havertz, who's yet to find his feet since his £65 million summer transfer from Chelsea. Morgan tweeted:
"VAR was MoM for Newcastle, but we deserved to lose. Arsenal were dreadful. Only Rice, again, deserves any praise. So long as we have no proper striker, and Arteta persists in this ridiculous Havertz farce, we won’t win the League."
Since his summer move, Havertz, 24, has scored once and set up another in 17 appearances across competitions for the Gunners. The German hasn't been able to shut down his critics and is often bearing the brunt of criticism when the results don't go the way of Arteta's team.
Arsenal are third in the Premier League with 24 points from 11 games, three behind leaders Manchester City, following their first league loss of the campaign. Second-placed Tottenham Hotspur have 26 points from 10 games and could regain the top spot if they beat Chelsea on Monday (November 6).
An in-depth analysis of Kai Havertz's performance during Arsenal's loss against Newcastle United
Arsenal star Kai Havertz played the full game against Newcastle, completing 23 of his attempted 33 passes. The German, though, didn't manage any shot on target and had no dribbles.
Havertz also lost possession 15 times. The 24-year-old won four ground duels and four aerial duels against the Tynesiders. Havertz also committed two fouls.
The Gunners return to action on Wednesday (November 8) to take on Sevilla at home in the UEFA Champions League. They're atop group B with six points from three games, so a 'double' over the reigning UEFA Europa League winners will put Arteta's lot in a favourable position to reach the knockouts.