Arsenal legend-turned-pundit Paul Merson has criticised the performance of midfielder Bruno Guimaraes following the club’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on the road.
The Gunners suffered their first loss of the campaign against the Seagulls at the Amex Stadium. They were second-best from the first whistle, with the South Coast outfit exhibiting a better work rate.
Arsenal went 2-0 down at the interval after long-range goals from Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas. Chema Andres scored another from a set-piece to pile more misery on the Gunners.
The Gunners were guilty of squandering two clear-cut chances through Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, but things could have been much worse if not for a couple of brilliant saves from David Raya.
Several players underperformed during the game. The defence was all over the place, with Gabriel Magalhaes, Ezri Konsa and Riccardo Calafiori guilty of affording space for Brighton to shoot.
The midfield of Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes did not help the backline. The latter was outplayed repeatedly and struggled to cope with Brighton’s pressing until his early substitution.
He was guilty of misplacing several passes in the centre of the park, and there was no surprise that the Brazil international was substituted at the hour mark, with Mikel Merino taking his position.
Speaking after the game, Merson said that Guimaraes was a ‘million miles off it’ against Brighton and should have been substituted at the interval, having failed to adapt to the quick press.
He told Sky Sports (via Metro): “A million miles off it. A million miles off it. I said at half time he would come off, but he’s stayed on for another 10 minutes or so. It was really quick for him, they closed him down.
“I don’t care how good you are. If people get your head down and close you down and make you work it’s a leveller and that’s what Brighton have done. They have been absolutely brilliant.”
Guimaraes, who received a 3/10 rating from football.london, made his full league debut for the Gunners yesterday. It was a forgettable appearance as he was guilty of losing possession nine times.
The midfielder won five out of six ground duels contested but struggled to win any aerial challenges. His passing accuracy was decent at 85 percent, but the lack of ball progression was on display.
The 28-year-old failed to impact the game as manager Mikel Arteta would have desired. He could not link up play with captain Martin Odegaard efficiently, with several notable loose passes.