View From The Sphere

Arsenal legend claims team is ‘weaker’ without Ramsey and Koscielny

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Arsenal are a ‘weaker’ side without Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey, according to Gunners icon Tony Adams.

A late goal from Alexandre Lacazette in injury time saved Arsenal from an embarrassing loss to 19th place Southampton and ensuring the Gunners came away from the game with something. The result has put further pressure on Unai Emery’s position at the club with some sections of the Emirates chanting ‘Emery out. Not only is the Spaniard’s role in jeopardy but so are Arsenal’s chances of finishing in the top four. They now sit in 7th place in the Premier League table and eight points adrift of Chelsea who occupy the fourth spot.

Emery admitted after the game that he understands the fans’ frustrations, but that didn’t cut it with Adams, who believes fans were right to boo his former club:

‘The boos are deserved. It was a terrible, terrible performance, very disjointed, no defending in sight, [Emery] changed his system three times – he’s not doing himself any favours.

‘I don’t want any coach losing his job but the club’s not going forward, it’s not progressing. The recruitment has been really poor. We got rid of Koscielny – our best player – he had to go last year & Ramsey, we lost. The team is evidently weaker because of it.

‘I could put a team together that is more organised than that. There’s no one going out there to keep clean sheets, I can’t see a clean sheet in sight. When you’re giving the opposition team at the Emirates 20 chances on your goal, you’re never going to keep clean sheets.’

It does seem that something is not right at Arsenal. The manager does tinker a lot with his team selections and more so his tactics. The players themselves do not look interested in the slightest and are under-performing as a result.

As for Adams’ comments, yes, the team does look weaker without Koscielny and even Ramsey. Both were stalwarts at the club and knew what it meant to wear the badge on their chest. But, for me, it runs much more deeper than this. There are problems at the club since Arsene Wenger was there and unless this is resolved, I don’t see things getting any better any time soon.

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