Portuguese newspaper O Jogo singles out Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard for criticism after Arsenal 1-0 loss to Porto
|Portuguese newspaper O Jogo have slammed Arsenal duo Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard for their subpar performances in the 1-0 defeat to FC Porto last night.
The Gunners struggled to create chances against the Primeira Liga club in the first-leg of the Champions League last-16, failing to register a single shot on target.
Arsenal managed to create just one big chance, which Trossard could not convert, and it proved costly in the end.
O Jogo rated the Gunners stars after the match, and they were less than impressed with the Belgian and the Germany international.
“Havertz, on Trossard’s back, struggled, but not intimidated,” they wrote.
“Trossard, on the other hand, was far from the level that makes him a valuable spearhead (he has ten goals in 30 games), having wasted the best opportunity of the English, when, alone, he shot over the crossbar of Diogo Costa’s goal,” they concluded.
The duo cannot be singled out for the defeated, but they were the least impressive on the night and could have done better.
The other Arsenal stars did not particularly step up, but Porto proved to be too tough to handle and were determined not to give the visitors any chance.
The Gunners played ten corners but could not get any towards the hosts’ goal.
The second-leg at Emirates Stadium is next month and Arsenal will be desperate to secure a victory and turn the result around.
The North Londoners returned to the Champions League following a six-season absence this term but failed to progress beyond the last-16 in each of their last seven appearances in the competition.
The 2009-10 campaign was the last time they advanced to the quarter-finals and they will ensure history does not repeat itself when they host Porto in the second-leg.