For once, VAR got something right: Lewis-Skelly's sending off was justified and totally red. It won't be rescinded and, although the referee initially saw it as a yellow card offence, the youngster denied Kudus a clearcut goalscoring opportunity. Raya was well out of his goal, so had Kudus got the ball, it would have been 2-0.
The question is: was Lewis-Skelly's decision a good one. I'd say: 'no', although we must add it was his commendable determination to win that made him do it.
However, my view is it's better to lose a goal rather than a player, even though Arsenal did play marginally better with 10 men.
The painful truth is this is not a title-winning squad because it lacks depth. When fit, the first XI can match any team in the world, but injuries have taken their toll.
We must assume that the hierarchy must have accepted there will be no silverware. That must be why the club decided not to buy a striker. You can't rely on someone who hasn't really played there. Being a centre forward is a difficult position to learn. Merino gave it a go, but he had no chance against a disciplined West Ham defence.
Now, all efforts should be poured into the Champions League. There's no possibility of catching Liverpool at the top now.
No comments:
Post a Comment