Paul Scholes believes Max Dowman could save Arsenal's season after their EFL Cup defeat against Manchester City. He slammed the north London side's performance and said that they are too dependent on set pieces.
The Gunners lost 2-0 against Manchester City in the EFL Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, March 22. Nico O'Reilly capitalized on an error from Kepa Arrizabalaga in the 60th minute to open the scoring. He then doubled City's lead four minutes later, as they held on to their lead comfortably.
On The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Manchester United legend Paul Scholes slammed Arsenal's performance. He said:
"There’s no flair about the team whatsoever, you have to say they missed [Eberechi] Eze and [Martin] Odegaard who possibly could give them something, but even when they’re available they’ve not played free-flowing football. I do think they’ve become obsessed with the set-pieces and taken their eye off the rest of the game. You don’t have to entertain to win the league but as fans you want to see more."
"As I said, the two No. 10s were missing who are very good players but they didn’t bring Max Dowman on. He could be the person, as a 16-year-old kid, who might save their season a little bit because he can bring a bit of flair to them," he added.
Dowman, 16, became the youngest-ever player to score a Premier League goal in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton on March 14. He has impressed in his seven first-team appearances, recording one goal and one assist.
Paul Scholes claims he's happy Arsenal lost in EFL Cup final
The former Manchester United midfielder claimed that he is happy that Manchester City beat the Gunners in the EFL Cup final. He labeled it a 'victory for football' due to the contrasting playing styles between the two teams. He said:
"I was actually quite happy Man City won because it’s a victory for football. If you think about the two teams and the way they play, you want the team who try to play the best football to win the game, I don’t care who it is."
"The only way Arsenal were going to win that game was if they scored one of those early chances and then shut up shop which would have been boring, it would have been the worst game ever. They haven’t got a team to do it, they haven’t got players with flair, it sounds harsh but they’re workmanlike," he added.
Arsenal had 37% possession in the EFL Cup final. They attempted seven shots, with three being on target, as compared to Manchester City's 2/10 on-target attempts.
The Gunners will next face Southampton away in the FA Cup quarter-finals after the international break on April 4.