Arsenal Legend Patrick Vieira expressed strong criticism for an Arsenal player following their match against Chelsea, a game that almost cost Arsenal their unbeaten start to the season. While the rivalry between the two clubs remains fierce, the main talking point of the match shifted to the goalkeeping mistakes, starting with David Raya.
David Raya, who filled in for the absent Aaron Ramsdale due to the birth of his child, did not have a standout performance. He had a 74% pass accuracy and 57 touches, which was relatively efficient for a goalkeeper. However, he made an error that led directly to a shot, and the most significant blunder was when he was caught out of position, allowing an unexpected goal.
Despite Raya’s disappointing performance, the day might have been even worse for Gabriel Jesus. Although Arsenal had 57% possession, Jesus, the Brazilian striker, struggled to make an impact. He had only 25 touches, which was fewer than Raya’s 57. He failed in both of his attempted dribbles, lost 70% of his duels, and completed only ten passes.
Gabriel Jesus’ performance was not just offensively inept but also defensively lacking. This is a growing concern for Mikel Arteta, as Jesus had just one league goal in seven appearances. Arteta had relied heavily on him last season, but instead of investing in a new center forward during the summer transfer window, he stuck with Jesus.
Journalist Simon Collings criticized Jesus, highlighting a particularly poor shot during the first half that almost went out for a throw-in. He concluded that Jesus was a significant contributor to Arsenal’s overall poor performance against Chelsea.
