“They needed a bit more steel” - Micah Richard suggests Arteta made mistake by not starting 2 Arsenal players in defeat to Aston Villa

Micah Richards reckons Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made a mistake by not fielding Jorginho and Thomas Partey from the start against Aston Villa on Sunday, April 14.

The Gunners suffered a 2-0 home defeat in the Premier League at the Emirates. Leon Bailey (84') and Ollie Watkins (87') got on the scoresheet for the Villans. Arteta made a handful of changes, with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus, and Leandro Trossard coming in for Jakub Kiwior, Gabriel Martinelli, and Jorginho in the second hlf.

Richards has now claimed that the Gunners lacked stability. He further highlighted that Partey and Jorginho's presence gives the team a better base. Considering the Gunners were often overwhelmed in the second half, Richards has said (via The Boot Room):

"In terms of the energy that Aston Villa bring when you have Jorginho and Partey who has come into the team recently as well, I just thought it was a game for them."

Richards added:

"It's one where you look back and Arteta is a manager, he has to make the decision, but at times in the second half, they got overrun in the midfield. It was too easy for Aston Villa."

Richards continued:

"They needed a bit more steel in there, even if we look at Declan Rice there and his position- he can play holding or as a number eight. But when Partey and Jorginho doesn't play, they just don't have the same stability."

Arsenal lost ground in the Premier League title race as a result of the defeat. They are now second with 71 points from 32 matches, two points behind league leaders Manchester City.

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Arsenal legend Paul Merson criticizes Mikel Arteta for his changes

Paul Merson has claimed that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made a mistake by changing his winning combination against Aston Villa. He pointed out Gabriel Jesus starting as a striker and Jorginho's absence as the main reasons for their defeats.

The Gunners have won nine of their last 10 matches with Kai Havertz starting as the striker. Jorginho, meanwhile, has been a crucial player in recent games. Merson said (via Football Italia):

"Gabriel [Jesus] comes on, does well and he [Arteta] thinks he'll play him instead of Havertz. They have won nine of their last ten games with Havertz playing where he was playing and Jorginho in his own position and now he changes it, just keep the same team."

Arsenal are up for yet another stern test next as they take on Bayern Munich on April 17 in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals second leg. The first leg between the two teams ended in a 2-2 draw at the Emirates.