Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice ‘body language’ sparks concern as Arsenal title fears grow
Concerns have been raised over the body language displayed by Mikel Arteta’s players following their defeat to Manchester United.
Bukayo Saka looked frustrated during Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester United(Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty)
A former Premier League goalkeeper has voiced concerns over the body language displayed by Arsenal players during their 3-2 defeat to Manchester United. Mikel Arteta’s side saw their advantage at the top reduced to four points on Sunday after being beaten by a late goal from Matheus Cunha.
Concerns are now growing that the Gunners could once again fall short in the title race after suffering their first home defeat of the season at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal have looked in command for much of the campaign, but former United goalkeeper Ben Foster believes Arteta should be troubled by the behavior of some members of the team during the five-goal encounter.
The former England international singled out Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice for displaying signs of negativity in recent weeks, while also expressing his belief that Manchester City would edge out the Gunners.
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, Foster said: “It looked like they were melting (against Manchester United). I think they’re starting to feel the pressure and I saw a few signs in the game that I didn’t like.
“(I’ve seen) great players throw their arms up in the air because they lose games all of a sudden. That’s what happens when the pressure comes. Four points is absolutely nothing. I’ve said it many times this season, I still think Man City will win this league.
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“I think this weekend was as bad as it could be for Arsenal. I just didn’t like the body language of some players, not showing up for certain balls, not making themselves available.
“Then when things didn’t go as planned, Saka threw his hands up in the air. A few weeks ago, Declan Rice was on camera saying, ‘Oh, it’s always the same.’ And you just think, “Don’t be like that, guys. » What if you all united? »
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After Sunday’s defeat, Arteta claimed Arsenal would not lose their composure as the club chase their first Premier League crown in 22 years. His remarks come despite concerns that Gunners supporters are also starting to show signs of nervousness.
He said: “This is part of the demands and expectations that we want to win, and that’s it. Individually, everyone can react in the way they need.
“It (fan reaction) doesn’t matter; we have to do more, so maybe it’s not enough. We have to do more, there’s nothing else. We have to do our best.
“When you do that, you can rest in peace. Today we certainly tried to do our best, but we weren’t effective enough against a very well-organized team and we were also punished because of our own mistakes.”
Meanwhile, Gunners captain Martin Odegaard said: “It wasn’t good enough from us and we need time to analyze it. We should have done better but now it’s time to stick together more, keep working, push ourselves more and bounce back.”
Arsenal’s next game sees them host Kairat Almaty at home in the Champions League on Wednesday, before returning to Premier League duty with a trip to Leeds United on January 31.
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