Arsenal latest: Star showing ‘grumpy’ behaviour as worrying trait called out

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Arsenal latest: Star showing 'grumpy' behaviour as worrying trait called out

Arsenal have been accused of showing worrying signs

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Mikel Arteta's ambitions of claiming a quadruple were shattered following the 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City on Sunday. More concerning than the scoreline for the Gunners was the way in which City dominated proceedings at Wembley Stadium.

They must now regroup for the pivotal business end of the season with three trophies still within reach, including the Premier League, where they hold a nine-point advantage over City.

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The international break arrives at a useful moment for Arteta's injury-hit squad to recover before the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Southampton on April 4. football.london examines two of the latest stories concerning the north London club.

Paul Merson’s concerns

Gunners hero Paul Merson claims the most alarming element of Arsenal's display against City was that 'nobody wanted the ball'. The Gunners endured one of their poorest spells in any match this season during the 20 minutes after half-time, when they struggled to piece together more than two passes at any given time.

They were missing a calm presence to retain possession and repeatedly resorted to launching the ball forward and back to the opposition, which enabled City to mount wave after wave of attacks before scoring twice in quick succession. Former Arsenal midfielder Merson expressed concern that a similar problem among the outfield players could rear its head again this campaign.

He wrote in his Sky Sports column: "It's a bad mistake from Kepa, a shocker of a mistake. But he wasn't on the pitch when eight of Arsenal's outfield players were getting ripped to shreds. Only two Arsenal players could walk off the pitch with their heads held high and they were William Saliba and Gabriel. They were outstanding and they couldn't do any more.

"For the other eight players, Kepa's done them a favour because everyone's now talking about him and the mistake. But no-one will talk about the other players not deserving more than a five out of 10. I was at Wembley and what I was watching was: who on Arsenal's team wanted the ball when they were getting beat and it was going horribly wrong? And no-one wanted the ball. Nobody.

"If any of those players want to sit down and watch a video of me and go: I was looking for it here and there, I would say, ‘I'm afraid you weren't'. It was pretty worrying."

'Grumpy' Odegaard

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been described as 'grumpy' due to his ongoing injury woes this season. The attacking midfielder has been absent from his team's last eight fixtures across all competitions, having been plagued by a persistent shoulder issue this term, followed by knee injuries.

Odegaard was missing from Arsenal's Carabao Cup final loss and will now be unavailable for Norway's forthcoming matches against the Netherlands and Switzerland. It is expected that the 27-year-old midfielder will continue his recovery at London Colney and make a comeback in early April, although this hasn't helped ease Odegaard's frustration.

Norway manager Stale Solbakken said: "He is very frustrated and grumpy. He has not been involved since we beat Moldova 11-1. It is his last international match. He was not on the field against Israel, Estonia or Italy. It is clear that it hurts.

"Now it’s three weeks until Arsenal play again. Or two-and-a-half weeks. I think it could be a goal for Martin to be in a squad then. It’s within reach. There is no reason for him to travel now. He has to train. If he wants to use a day off to come here, he is welcome to do so. But it is not something that has been planned."

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