Paul Merson gives his reaction to poor Arsenal performance

Paul Merson insists Arsenal did not play well in their match against Fleetwood Town after they were beaten and dumped out of the League Cup last night. The Gunners have been one of the top teams in the country for decades, and they won the last Premier League title, so many people had written off Fleetwood even before a ball was kicked.

Arsenal players also seem to have psychologically written off their opponents before the game, as their performances suggested that they were not prepared for a tough battle. It came back to haunt them as a hungrier and more determined Fleetwood beat them on penalties to reach the next round while sending Arsenal back home to focus on other competitions.

Merson’s Criticism

The Gunners have one less competition to worry about, but it was not their intention to get dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Town. Merson followed the game, and he was not happy with Arsenal’s performance as he insists the Gunners did not play well in the match.

He said via the Daily Mail:

“The work rate was there [from Arsenal], but the performance wasn’t. Gyokeres, Havertz, they can’t knock on Arteta’s door at the weekend. If one of them wasn’t playing, they couldn’t have any argument about it. They didn’t play well.

“The one thing Fleetwood were going to do was work their socks off. Talent-wise, not even on the same planet let alone the same pitch, but you’ve got to match them. They matched them, but then you’ve got to do more and it was only Odegaard who did that extra bit.”

A Wake-Up Call

Merson’s comments show the importance of consistency to Arsenal’s success, and the club’s performance against Fleetwood was a major disappointment.

Arsenal have to put this humiliation behind them now and concentrate on the upcoming match against Liverpool; however, this defeat will live with the club and fans for a long time to come.