Only two Arsenal players scored above five out of ten in a brutal series of ratings L’Equipe On tuesday night.
The Gunners earned a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Emirates, with Leandro Trossard’s equalizer 14 minutes from time saving the tie for the men by Mikel Arteta.
Although they were denied a late penalty when Bukayo Saka fell to the ground under a challenge from Manuel Neuer in added time, Arsenal were far from their best and failed to show the form that has taken them to the top of the Premier League this season. season.
They will now travel to the German capital next week, perhaps against all odds, as they will need to win the game with the score tied heading into the English team’s first leg.
His poor performance, meanwhile, was reflected in the French publication’s ratings, as only two players reached a score of six out of the 11 starters and coach Arteta.
Arsenal players were brutalized in their L’Equipe player ratings following their draw with Bayern Munich.
Bukayo Saka (left) and Martin Odegaard (right) were the only two players to score more than 5/10.
Defender William Saliba scored just 3/10 in one of his most disappointing performances.
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L’Equipe, which is notoriously critical when it comes to giving its ratings, awarded Saka and Gunners captain Martin Odegaard a six out of ten.
On the other hand, five four out of ten were shared, as the publication criticized the defense, which this season has been by far the best in the Premier League.
William Saliba in particular, who has been a star for Arsenal this season but struggled to earn a place in the French team, received a three out of ten after what was one of his most disappointing performances of the campaign.
“The Frenchman missed the opportunity to extend his excellent Premier League season on the European stage,” the publication wrote about his performance. ‘The first to score Bayern’s first goal, coming up too short against the decisive passer, Leon Goretzka.
‘Saliba then caused the penalty which was converted by Kane. The former Marseille native was also not very well positioned in the action, which caused Kingsley Coman’s shot to hit the post.
Jakub Kiwior, who returned to play at left back and received a rating of four out of ten, was also listed in the ‘flops’ section of the ratings, alongside Saliba in what was an unforgettable night for a normally solid Gunners defense .
“The Polish full-back suffered a lot from the speed and excellent ball handling of Leroy Sané,” it was written about his performance. Involved in the first goal conceded by his team, as he missed a pass that Gabriel sent him, Kiwior also had very little influence in the construction of his team’s game, touching only 27 balls, before logically being replaced at half-time by [Oleksandr] Zinchenko.
The Arsenal team received an average rating of 4.6/10, with five players scoring 4/10 and three 5/10.
Full-back Jakub Kiwior scored 4/10 and appears on L’Equipe’s list of match failures
Arsenal’s attacking players didn’t fare much better, with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli all receiving five out of ten for their performances.
But the criticism was not only directed at Arsenal. Much of the attention was focused on Harry Kane, who received a six out of ten, upon his return to the Emirates after leaving arch-rivals Tottenham for Bayern in the summer, but the former Spurs player was also returning after completing the same transfer in January.
Dier has received widespread criticism for his performances since his move to Germany, but has continued to receive the trust of outgoing manager Thomas Tuchel, under whom he has so far made 12 appearances for the club.
However, he did not have the same performance as Kane, and L’Equipe also awarded him a three out of ten.
Harry Kane (left) and Eric Dier (right) returned to the Emirates for the first time since leaving Tottenham, with Dier rated 3/10.
“Together with Matthijs de Ligt in the center of defense he did not convince,” they wrote about the former Tottenham defender. ‘Lacking aggression in duels, his raises were too often risky.
‘Its slowness constitutes a real obstacle at the highest European level. He didn’t know how to take advantage of his opportunity.