Jamie Redknapp hit out at Arsenal’s back three and claimed it is ‘in their DNA’ to give opposition strikers chances after Mikel Arteta’s side were beaten 2-1 by Tottenham.
Arsenal took the lead through Alexandre Lacazette’s excellent strike, but Tottenham prevailed, with Son Heung-min and Toby Alderweireld scoring.
The Gunners struggled defensively, with the back three of Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz and Sead Kolasinac all enduring a difficult afternoon.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former Tottenham midfielder Redknapp said: ‘It was a performance from a team [Spurs] that was struggling with confidence. They just looked better.
‘Arsenal had most of the ball, Spurs played on the counter but Arsenal’s back three will always give you a chance, it’s a fact.
‘Mikel Arteta will be well aware that he needs to make major changes to his team. Mikel has done a good job but that back three has been making mistakes for a long time.
‘They are defending better but they can’t help it. It’s in their DNA right now. It’s a brilliant header from Alderweireld. You need people like that to stand up.’
Arsenal had shown signs of improvement defensively since Arteta switched to a back three – they kept clean sheets against Southampton, Sheffield United and Wolves.
However, they struggled to cope with the threat posed by Tottenham on the counter-attack and ended up paying the price.
For Son’s goal, Kolasinac’s lack of composure in possession put Luiz under pressure, with the Tottenham attacker taking full advantage.
Mustafi was also caught out on several occasions and it appears unlikely that Arsenal will be able to make major improvements while he is still in the side.
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