Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has come under fire for leaving Jorginho out of the starting lineup in the loss to Aston Villa, a result that could derail their Premier League title bid.
The Gunners had the opportunity to steal the top spot from Liverpool following the Reds’ loss to Crystal Palace earlier on Sunday afternoon, but they fell in a painful 2-0 loss to Unai Emery’s Villans at the Emirates, leaving Manchester City top of the Premier League table with six games left to play.
The result has sparked drama amongst Arsenal fans, with many quickly losing faith in their Premier League title hopes due to Manchester City’s killer consistency. The hunt is already on for an explanation for the possibly decisive loss to Aston Villa.
Jorginho issue
Many Arsenal fans were quick to point out Arteta’s confusing decision to leave Jorginho on the bench, deciding to push Kai Havertz into the midfield to make space for Gabriel Jesus. The Italian had started five of their prior six Premier League matches, being rested against Luton.
Former Gunners forward Paul Merson also highlighted the decision to leave out the Azzurri international when reflecting on the defeat to Sky Sports via Football.London.
“Gabriel (Jesus, ed.) comes on, does well, and he (Arteta, ed.) thinks he’ll play him instead of Havertz. They’ve won nine of their last 10 with Havertz playing where he was playing and Jorginho playing in his own position and now he changes it, just keep the same team!”