Martin Keown criticizes Bukayo Saka and Arsenal’s decision-making in critical moments as they crash out of the Champions League against Bayern Munich with an “extremely disappointing” performance.
- Martin Keown slammed Arsenal for ‘extremely disappointing’ performance
- He also felt that Bukayo Saka could have made better decisions against Bayern.
- Liverpool have been hungover since Man United knocked them out of the FA Cup – where has their energy gone? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Martin Keown has criticized Bukayo Saka and his Arsenal teammates for their lack of skill in crucial moments following their Champions League exit.
Arsenal lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena and failed to trouble the German champions who crashed out of the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.
They managed only eight shots on goal and failed to display their usual flair. While things started out encouraging, they were disappointing in the second half.
In the 95th minute, Saka quickly passed a free kick to Ben White instead of shooting or crossing into the box, before only hitting the first man from the next corner.
“It was very disappointing, a bit summed up at the end, when Saka, for some reason, took a (short) free kick when there was an opportunity to really test the goalkeeper,” said Keown at TNT Sports.
Martin Keown criticized Bukayo Saka and Arsenal’s decision-making in their 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich
Saka could have taken a late free-kick but chose not to, before failing to make the most of a corner.
“You just noticed this little lack of experience. Closing exchanges need to be more urgent. Saka made this decision in the moment.
“I admire that too. But I think he might have done better to take that ball from a free kick and it could have been a wonderful goal.
“You wanted to see the ball go into the box. That urgency wasn’t there and I think it’s a lack of experience, of participating in these major matches and knowing what to do in these critical moments.
“No real urgency in these final stages. Hugely disappointing. I just feel like we didn’t really lay a glove on them in that second tie. It was there if we wanted it, as Owen said, and Bayern were resolute, direct and posed a much bigger threat than Arsenal. Look at this, it sums up, doesn’t it, the last action of the game.
“I think the caution of the game really helped Bayern say ‘okay, let’s change gears in the second half’, and Arsenal never really did that. They contained Arsenal.
“It was such a flat performance, even at the end, the ball, putting it in the box, putting it in there, trying to influence, and they didn’t seem ready to do that. You don’t deserve to qualify if you put on a performance like that tonight.
More soon.
