Despite having an extremely low ball possession, Stoke City managed to get past Arsenal once again in the Bet365 Stadium.
A lone goal from new boy Jese Rodriguez was enough to see the Potters hand the Gunners their first defeat of the new season. Wenger’s men tried their best to equalise but failed to do so.
Here are our Arsenal player ratings:
Petr Cech 6/10 – Our veteran Goalkeeper cannot be blamed for the only goal. The defense let him down once again. In all fairness, he did what was expected of him and without him, the scoreline could have been worse.
Shkodran Mustafi 5/10 – The German international was clearly not at his best. It was a great relief to have him back in action, but his impact in the defeat was not at all impressive.
Nacho Monreal 5/10 – Although Mustafi returned and started the game, Monreal was still preferred at the center of then three-man defence but he too didn’t have the best of games.
Sead Kolasinac 6/10 – Once again, Arsene Wenger decided to play our new acquisition as part of the three-man defence. Also, it seemed like the Bosnian was advised to be more disciplined position wise. All in all, he was not as active as some may want and could have done better on several occasions.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 7/10 – The Englishman’s performance was good. He was strong and his pace on the right wing was very impressive. He needs to improve his touch inside the box.
Hector Bellerin 5/10 – It was surprising to see the Spaniard start on the left wing. It was obvious that he spent the entire time wondering what he was doing at that position. In all, it was not a good day for Bellerin and we hope Wenger is not excited about that awkward experiment.
Granit Xhaka 5/10 – On several occasions, Xhaka gifted the ball to the opposition. His performance was not really bad but if Arsenal really want to challenge for the title, Xhaka will have to be more focused.
Aaron Ramsey 7.5/10 – Ramsey was quite impressive and was unlucky not to score a goal. He had a cutting-edge to his game and was involved in most of the attacks, especially when the Gunners went in search of an equalizer.
Mesut Ozil 5/10 – Just like in the Leicester game, Mesut Ozil was nowhere to be found throughout the match. We can only hope that the German superstar recovers his form and contribute adequately when we meet Liverpool next week.
Danny Welbeck 5.5/10 – It was business as usual for Welbeck, he was all over the field, giving the opposition defenders a run for their money. He had some very good chances to score, but he once again struggled in front of goal
Alexandre Lacazette 6.5/10 – Our new striker tried his best but was unfortunate to have been denied a goal unfairly. His movements were perfect and he looks ready for life in North London.
SUBSTITUTES
Olivier Giroud 5.5/10 – Our big French striker got a great chance to equalise late in the game, but couldn’t guide his header. His movements were excellent and his cameo was impactful.
Alex Iwobi NA – Iwobi had some very good first touches, but couldn’t find that game changing pass.
Theo Walcott NA – His introduction did not have any impact on the game.
