Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo took a brutal swipe at Arsenal’s forward problems by explaining his side’s tactics in last night’s 0-0 draw at the City Ground. After their defeat to West Ham on Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s men failed to bounce back as they went a second successive game without scoring.
With Liverpool beating Newcastle, the Gunners are now 13 points adrift of the Premier Leagueleaders with the title race all but over.
Despite enjoying plenty of possession, the visitors again lacked a clinical edge as midfielder Mikel Merino was deployed as a central striker.
The closest they came to a breakthrough was when defender Riccardo Calafiori curled a first-half effort against the post, but they were also left indebted to William Saliba for ensuring they secured a point after his last-ditch challenge denied Chris Wood. Afterwards, Santo explained why he opted to change tactics by using a five-man midfield.
Working for TNT Sports, pundit Martin Keown questioned the Portuguese boss on why he made the switch from his customary five-man defence. However, the ex-centre back was left stone-faced and silent by the answer.
“Arsenal doesn’t have a striker, so with Merino playing in that position, there is no need for an extra body (in defence),” Santo replied. “So the overload was in the midfield - it’s about containing the midfield.”
Arsenal’s failure to land a big-money striker in the last two transfer windows has long been criticised by club fans. But to hear an opposition manager expose the flaw so savagely will add frustration to Arteta, who cut an exasperated figure in his post-match duties.