Marco Silva ‘disrespectful’ to Arsenal in Fulham draw
Fulham earned a draw against Arsenal using a tactical tweak that was “excellent” but also “a little bit disrespectful”, according to Troy Deeney.
The West London team took the lead early through Raul Jimenez and frustrated the Gunners throughout the game on Sunday (8 December).
Marco Silva’s side restricted Arsenal to a set-piece goal, with William Saliba scoring in his second consecutive game.
However, this approach received praise from former Watford striker Troy Deeney. Speaking on Match of the Day 2, Deeney noted that Fulham “completely ignored” their opponents’ left-hand side, believing that “they’re not going to hurt” them there.
He explained: “They’re pushing [Martin] Ødegaard to play the line, which was perfect, as it’s letting [Antonee] Robinson go out and attack.
As you can see, everyone’s on that side. It’s a little bit disrespectful to say, ‘You’re not going to hurt us down the other side.’”
Deeney continued: “This is what they’re resorting to: really long balls, and bang, they’re on a counter-attack. From a tactical point of view, I thought Marco [Silva] was excellent.”
Arsenal are letting their title dreams slip
Football Insider opinion
The North London side are feeling the pressure, having already drawn five games this season.
Not only are they trailing league leaders Liverpool, but they are now also behind Chelsea following their derby win. It seems as if Arsenal lack a player with the goalscoring calibre of Mo Salah or Cole Palmer.
That isn’t a slight on Bukayo Saka, but Palmer continues to deliver an incredible goal-involvement return. It took him just 48 games to reach 50 goal involvements, which is the fourth highest in Premier League history.
Players on the left-hand side, including Gabriel Martinelli, have come under scrutiny. Paul Merson even suggested that the winger could “be on the end of one in the dressing room” from Mikel Arteta [Sky Sports].
It’s unlikely Martinelli will force his way back into the starting XI. He mistimed his run for the potentially winning goal.
Gabriel Jesus is another player who has struggled this year. He has just one goal in the Premier League in 2024 and only two starts this season. Many supporters believe Gabriel Jesus is no longer good enough.
Arsenal will need another superb run to finish the season, with help from other teams if they hope to win the title. However, it shouldn’t have come to this after the promise Arteta and the team showed over the last few years.
In other news, Bukayo Saka has sent a five-word Arsenal message after a Cole Palmer development.
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