{"id":1104441,"date":"2019-09-02T18:24:43","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T17:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1104441"},"modified":"2019-09-02T18:24:43","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T17:24:43","slug":"arsenals-embarrassing-defence-even-worse-shearer","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/arsenals-embarrassing-defence-even-worse-shearer\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal’s “embarrassing” defence has got even worse this season, insists Shearer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former England striker\u00a0Alan Shearer believes Arsenal’s defence has become even worse than last season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unai Emery’s maiden season in the Emirates dugout was marred by a number of frail defensive showings, as the Gunners kept just eight clean sheets and conceded 51 goals – more than Newcastle, Everton, Leicester and Wolves.<\/p>\n

Arsenal’s defensive frailties: Five things to know…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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  • Last season the likes of\u00a0Cardiff City,\u00a0Bournemouth and\u00a0Crystal Palace kept more clean sheets than Arsenal.<\/li>\n
  • Unai Emery’s side registered the most errors leading to goals of any Premier League side last season (12).<\/li>\n
  • They also recorded the most errors leading to shots of any side (28).<\/li>\n
  • Arsenal kept just one clean sheet away from home in 2018\/19, the lowest number of any club.<\/li>\n
  • However, Shearer believes they are even worse this season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7354781-emery-must-resist-his-crystal-palace-tribute-act-to-punish-unsettled-spurs<\/p>\n

    But, there have been no signs to suggest that Emery has been working on defensive solidity behind closed doors, as two costly errors allowed Tottenham to boast a two-goal lead in the North London Derby, before the Gunners eventually fought back.<\/p>\n

    A\u00a0half-attempted header from\u00a0Sokratis preceded Bernd Leno’s soft save to allow Son Heung-min to break the deadlock, before Granit Xhaka produced a mindless lunge on the South Korean which gave\u00a0Harry Kane the chance to bury from the spot.<\/p>\n

    Arsenal secured three new defensive signings over the summer – albeit with William Saliba being sent back out on loan, while Kieran Tierney remains injured – but their vulnerabilities at the back have been laid bare once more in the 2-2 derby – but this time, it’s even worst according to Shearer.<\/p>\n

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    READ MORE:<\/span> Arsenal 2-2 Spurs: Five things learned as \u2018lethal\u2019 Lacazette kickstarts recovery<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

    In his column for The Sun<\/a>, he wrote: “Arsenal’s defending was comical at times in the first half \u2013 it was Sunday League stuff.\u00a0Sokratis didn\u2019t need to go for the header for Christian Eriksen\u2019s opening goal.<\/p>\n

    “Then David Luiz dived in again, gambling in the way he does all too often.\u00a0And goalkeeper Bernd Leno should have done better than just palm the ball into Eriksen\u2019s path.<\/p>\n

    “From start to finish, it was embarrassing how easy it was for Tottenham to get their two first-half goals.\u00a0Yes, Spurs stuck away their chances beautifully, including Harry Kane\u2019s spot-kick.<\/p>\n

    “But what on earth is Granit Xhaka thinking when he lunges in to give away the penalty?\u00a0There has to be a moment when he thinks \u2018I have to slow down here because I\u2019m going to wipe him out\u2019 \u2013 but he never thinks about it at all.<\/p>\n

    “If anything, Arsenal are worse now than they were last season.”<\/p>\n