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Pep Guardiola in charge of Arsenal? Two stars would be in for a shock - Keown
PEP GUARDIOLA would ring the changes if he was in charge of Arsenal with two players set for different roles, says former Gunner Martin Keown.
Arsenal expert reveals how Emery has changed the squad
Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in Unai Emery’s first Premier League game in charge on Sunday.
While the likes of debutant Matteo Guendouzi impressed, other players struggled to have an impact on the game as they got off to the worst possible start.
Emery opted for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to lead the line up front, while Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Henrikh Mkhitaryan formed a midfield three behind him.
However, Keown feels Ozil and Mkhitaryan didn’t give enough to the team and failed to help out with their defensive duties.
You feel that if Pep Guardiola was in charge of Arsenal, Mkhitaryan and Ozil would be playing in the Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva roles either side of a holding midfielder in a three
And the former defender suggests if Guardiola was at the Emirates helm the pair would be played in similar roles to the ones Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva occupy at City.
“Sokratis [Papastathopoulos] kept his position well but I didn’t see anything spectacular that suggested he is much better than Calum Chambers — who has joined Fulham on loan — or Rob Holding,” Keown told the Daily Mail.
“He made a clever foul on the edge of the box when he knew he was about to get beaten but that exposed his lack of mobility.
“But where City won the game was on the flanks.
“There is no way a full back can deal with Benjamin Mendy and Raheem Sterling flying down the left if the winger does not come back with them.
“Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn would have gone ballistic if they had been given such little protection.
“Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles needed to be more demanding of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil to come back and help defend but are those creative players being used in the right position?
“You feel that if Pep Guardiola was in charge of Arsenal, Mkhitaryan and Ozil would be playing in the Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva roles either side of a holding midfielder in a three.
“It was interesting to see that when Stephan Lichtsteiner came on, straight away he was fighting for the cause and getting into a few rows. He wasn’t prepared to accept what was happening and was more demanding of the players in front of him.
“I want to see more of this from the younger players such as Bellerin.”
Emery will need his players at their best once again this weekend when they travel to Chelsea on Saturday (5.30pm).