Merson rages at Maatsen in Aston Villa draw v Arsenal – ‘It’s very worrying’
Paul Merson was stunned by the poor performance of Ian Maatsen for Aston Villa in their 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Saturday.
Villa found themselves a goal down at half-time with Maatsen largely to blame having lost Gabriel Martinelli in the build-up to the goal.
Merson, prior to the game, highlighted the worries he had about Morgan Rogers but it was Maatsen who received stick from the pundit for his performance in the clash, which ultimately saw him hooked at half-time.
Speaking on Sky Sports Premier League [6:23 pm], Merson said: “Maatsen, phew…
“It’s very worrying. If you’re a full-back, £37million? The most natural thing you’ve got to do as a fullback is, as soon as you get into that position, just literally turn your head to see where the danger is.
“He never looks once.”
Ian Maatsen fails Aston Villa audition
Unai Emery’s decision to drop Lucas Digne seemed like a mistake in waiting and after the 45 minutes endured by Maatsen, that verdict seems accurate.
Maatsen struggled to get to grips with the game defensively having also picked up an early, needless yellow card which severely limited his ability to get close to his man.
However, for the opening goal, he was simply way too distant from Martinelli and showcased a complete lack of defensive awareness which ultimately proved costly.
It’s hard to see Emery repeating that mistake anytime soon with Digne clearly the more talented defender as showcased by the second-half turnaround at the Emirates.
Villa appeared to have more control in the game with the Frenchman down the left flank with Martinelli finding himself with far less success as a result with Digne also getting the assist for Youri Tielemans’ goal.
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