Arsenal have been accused of “negligence” by journalist Henry Winter with Martin Odegaard losing “10 per cent of his game” in recent weeks.
The Gunners are having a decent season in the Premier League but Mikel Arteta’s side now seem destined to finish as runners-up for the third season running.
A 1-0 home defeat to West Ham and a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest in their last two fixtures has seen Arsenal drop further behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
Arsenal are now 13 points adrift of Arne Slot’s leaders and it would take a momumental collapse from Liverpool to allow the Gunners to challenge from here.
One of their main problems in recent weeks has been their lack of strikers with injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz earlier this year leaving them without a recognised centre-forward.
Arsenal attempted to buy a new striker in the January transfer window but eventually settled with what they’ve got, before Havertz was injured in warm-weather training in Dubai.
And former chief football writer for The Times, Winter, thinks “negligence” at Arsenal has cost them a shot at the title with Odegaard hit hardest by the Gunners not signing a striker.
Winter said on the Back Pages Podcast: “[Riccardo] Calafiori, who was brought in as a left-back, was their most attacking and threatening player in the first half. He actually sort of got the ball onto his right foot and hit the post.