Only two Arsenal players scored above five out of ten in a brutal set of ratings L’Equipe on Tuesday evening.
The Gunners earned a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Emirates, with a Leandro Trossard equalizer saving a draw for Mikel Arteta’s men 14 minutes from time.
Although they were denied a late penalty when Bukayo Saka hit the deck under pressure from Manuel Neuer in stoppage time, Arsenal were far from their best and failed to show the form that has taken them to the top of the Premier League this season .
They now head to the German capital next week, perhaps against the odds, and should win the match outright, with the score completely in favor of the England side away.
Their poor performance, meanwhile, was reflected in the French publication’s ratings, with only two players reaching a score of six out of 11 starters and manager Arteta.
Arsenal players were treated cruelly in their L’Equipe player ratings for their draw against Bayern Munich
Bukayo Saka (L) and Martin Odegaard (R) were the only two players to score more than 5/10
Defender William Saliba, meanwhile, scored just 3/10 in one of his more disappointing performances of the season
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L-Equipe, who are notoriously critical when handing out their ratings, gave both Saka and Gunners captain Martin Odegaard a six out of ten.
Elsewhere, five fours out of 10 were handed out as the defence, which has been by far the best in the Premier League this season, was criticized by the publication.
In particular, William Saliba, who starred for Arsenal this season but struggled to get a place in the French national team, was rated three out of ten after one of his most disappointing performances of the season.
“The Frenchman has missed the opportunity to extend his remarkable Premier League season on the European stage,” the publication wrote of his performance. ‘First at fault for Bayern’s first goal, by falling short to the decisive passer, Leon Goretzka.
‘Saliba then caused the penalty that will be transformed by Kane. The former Marseillais was also not in the action very well, causing Kingsley Coman’s shot to be pushed back through the post.’
Jakub Kiwior, again playing at left-back and rated four out of ten, was also mentioned in the ‘flops’ section of the ratings, alongside Salbia in what was a night to forget for a usually solid Gunners defence.
“The Polish full-back suffered a lot from the speed and excellent ball handling of Leroy Sane,” was written about his performance. Kiwior was involved in the first goal his team conceded, as he missed a pass sent to him by Gabriel, and also had very little influence on the construction of his team’s play, touching just 27 balls, before joining the rest logically was replaced by [Oleksandr] Zinchenko.’
The attacking Arsenal players did not fare much better, with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli all receiving a five out of ten for their performances.
The Arsenal team received an average rating of 4.6/10, with five players scoring 4/10 and three 5/10
Fullback Jakub Kiwior scored 4/10 and was mentioned in L’Equipe’s flop list of the match
However, the criticism was not only aimed at Arsenal. Much of the spotlight was on Harry Kane – who was rated six out of 10 – on his return to the Emirates after leaving arch-rivals Tottenham for Bayern in the summer, but the former Spurs man also returned after leaving in January had completed the same transfer.
Dier has received a lot of criticism for his performances since his move to Germany, but still enjoys the confidence of outgoing manager Thomas Tuchel, who has made 12 appearances for the club so far.
However, he did not perform quite like Kane and also received a three out of ten from L’Equipe.
Harry Kane (L) and Eric Dier (R) returned to the Emirates for the first time since leaving Tottenham, with Dier rated 3/10
“Together with Matthijs de Ligt in central defense, he did not convince,” they wrote. ‘Lacking aggressiveness in duels, his raises were too often risky.
‘His slowness is a real obstacle at the highest European level. He didn’t know how to take his chance.’