Bacary Sagna insists ‘we need to stop questioning Eddie Nketiah’s quality’ (Picture: Getty)
Former Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna has issued a passionate defence of two players in Mikel Arteta’s squad, who he feels are unfairly targeted.
The Gunners have lost back-to-back games, with a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United after they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup to West Ham.
Some pundits and supporters have slammed the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Kai Havertz this term but Sagna has now responded to the duo’s critics.
‘We need to stop questioning Eddie Nketiah’s quality,’ Sagna told Paddy Power. ‘Mikel Arteta sees him in training every day and sees his performances and commitment.
‘Every weekend, there’s a debate about whether he’s good enough to lead the line. Why can’t people just let him progress and play the way he plays without pressure. It seems like he has to score every time he plays or people say he’s not good enough.
‘He’s not in the best situation to shine at his own level. People will debate, but at some point, we need to let him play and then decide if he’s good enough.
‘At the end of the season, we can look at his goals and performances and then criticise if you want to criticise. But you can’t criticise him after every game.
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‘It’s the same for Kai Havertz. He’s come to a club where everyone is against him, and he feels the pressure. If everyone is criticising him, how can he perform?
‘Whenever he touches the ball, he feels the pressure. We need to support players, not criticise them.
‘For two or three years, we’ve been having the same debate about Eddie Nketiah and he doesn’t deserve it. When Nketiah doesn’t score, people point the finger at him but it’s not his fault, the team don’t always perform for him, but he gets the blame because he hasn’t scored.’
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‘Everyone is against him!’