Arsenal were handed a brutal Premier League reality check on Saturday in the 3-0 defeat to Brighton
Bruno Guimaraes
Bruno Guimaraes' inclusion during Arsenal's 3-0 defeat to Brighton has sparked questions(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
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Arsenal icon Paul Merson has questioned Mikel Arteta over his use of summer signing Bruno Guimaraes following Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. The Sky Sports pundit has slammed the decision to select the Brazilian over Myles Lewis-Skelly in the Gunners' heaviest defeat in three years.
Defeat on the South Coast inflicted the first blemish on Arsenal's record after an unbeaten start to their Premier League title defence. Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas fired Fabian Hurzeler's side into a first-half lead before Chema Andres rounded off the scoring just before the hour mark.
Merson was keen to highlight that he wasn't pinning the responsibility of the 3-0 reverse on the former Newcastle United star, but felt that the decision to start him over Lewis-Skelly was one that Arteta would regret.
“I'd like to ask Mikel Arteta what his thinking was behind playing Bruno Guimaraes over Myles Lewis-Skelly at Brighton," he told Sky Sports.
“I don't know if he thought it would be a nice football match, that Brighton would be tired after coming from 2-0 down against Manchester United on Wednesday?
“It just didn't work. Arsenal got outrun, they got overpowered in midfield, they got ripped to shreds.
“Bruno's a good footballer. If you're playing a low block, I don't see the problem in playing him. When you're going to dominate the ball, there's no-one like him when you have time. He's a good player and passer - and he's very intelligent.
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“I just wonder if Arteta was sitting on the coach on the way back thinking: 'I've got that one wrong.' When Bruno came on as a sub against Aston Villa a few weeks ago, he was outstanding.
"He could just keep the ball, pop it around, play one-twos and play the game at his tempo. That would have been a better idea.
“I'm not blaming Bruno for Arsenal losing, absolutely not. I just didn't know why Arteta had to change the team in a very difficult game.
“But it doesn't matter how good you are. You can be an international footballer and have all the accolades around you but if people get close to you and make you have to put your head down, it's a completely and utterly different football match.
“When you get all the time in the world, I could still play. But when you do what Brighton have done, they were absolutely brilliant. Credit where credit is due, they're a very good team.”