Kevin Campbell rips into Arsenal fans having ‘meltdown’ over Martinelli incident
Arsenal fans will “moan about anything” and had an uncalled for “meltdown” when Willian was introduced against Aston Villa.
That is according to ex-Arsenal man Kevin Campbell, speaking exclusively to Football Insider after the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat to Dean Smith’s side on Saturday.
The under-fire Willian replaced Thomas Partey in the 74th minute with many Arsenal fans mystified as to why he had been picked ahead of Gabriel Martinelli.
The 32-year-old has struggled in North London since his arrival on a three-year deal in the summer and, after getting two assists on his debut, has just one goal contribution in 22 games since.
Campbell believes the frustration from Arsenal fans is misplaced, however, and that they should be looking at the team as a whole rather than individuals.
He told Football Insider correspondent Dylan Childs: “Look, I think Willian can’t do anything right at the moment. Arteta brings him on and the Arsenal fanbase have a meltdown because he’s come on ahead of Martinelli. But it’s not Willian’s fault.
“The fact they didn’t get anything out of the game wasn’t down to him. Arsenal, at the end of the day, just weren’t good enough. It’s that simple. Arsenal couldn’t score and they had chances and opportunities.
“Arsenal fans are gonna moan about anything. But the fact is that we’re just not good enough at the moment. And it’s hard for a lot of Arsenal fans to take but we’ve got to look at it head-on. We are not that team anymore.”
Arteta’s side have not won in their last three outings in the league and currently sit 11th in the Premier League table.
The Gunners have not finished any lower than 8th since the 1994-95 campaign.