Alan Brazil has now been sharing his opinion on the form of two key Arsenal players after an impressive win over Lens last night.
Brazil was speaking on talkSPORT this morning and actually had some concerns despite the 6-0 thrashing.
The pundit thought that both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli still looked out of form, two players still struggling to reach their best.
And although these comments were surprising, Gabby Agbonlahor seemed to agree.
Brazil said: “I would just like to see the two wide players for Arsenal, listen we know Saka is a top player and Martinelli.
“But I don’t think they’re anywhere near their best at the moment.”
Agbonlahor replied: “No, they can do better, definitely.”
Although both Saka and Martinelli have had some quiet games this season, it would seem odd to mention it now.
Both were brilliant against Lens for Arsenal, and Brazil’s comments now seem quite untimely.
The wingers proved just how deadly they can be when not faced with a low block and opposition doubling-up.
Alan Brazil still thought Arsenal’s wingers looked out of form despite Lens win
Usually the response to these comments would be – ‘just wait and see how good Arsenal are when it all clicks.’
However, last night was that occasion, Mikel Arteta’s side were outstanding.
And although injuries have halted Martinelli’s season slightly, criticism of Saka seems way off the mark.
When Saka has a quieter game, as a result of defenders stacking up against him, he’s enduring a poor run of form.
However, one excellent moment and the narrative reverts to – ‘what a season he is having.’
It’s certainly a confusing one, a situation born out of Saka’s now incredibly high standards and reputation.
Both fans and pundits expect the England winger to be scoring regularly and winning games single-handedly, but that’s not always possible.
Arsenal have been enduring a transformation this season, changes intended to make the team more robust.
And it is obvious that a bit of attacking flair has been lost – something that could now be returning.
Some may agree with Brazil’s view that Saka and Martinelli aren’t at their best, but Arsenal’s performance against Lens really should allay concerns.
And despite all of the good attacking performances, Mikel Arteta did single-out an ‘excellent’ defender for praise.