Pundit Michael Dawson believes that Leandro Trossard was underserved by his Arsenal teammates against Lens.
Like several Arsenal players, Leandro Trossard failed to deliver his best performance against Lens on Tuesday evening. The Gunners tasted defeat for the first time this season, losing 2-1 to the French side in a Champions League group stage tie.
Arsenal were uncharacteristically poor at both ends of the pitch. Individual errors cost them defensively. Going forward, the likes of Trossard, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz were all below par.
Mikel Arteta brought Trossard back into the starting XI for this fixture after a brief injury lay-off, but the Belgian forward looked to be out of sync with his teammates. He struggled to link up with Havertz, and his own touch looked to be off at times.
However, Michael Dawson feels that Trossard was in a sense let down by his teammates. Speaking on Sky Sports (03/10/2023, 21:09), the former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back said, “Arsenal need to get Trossard more on the ball – that’s where the space is with him on the left.”
Arsenal – More needed from Leandro Trossard
Dawson clearly feels that the 28-year-old’s impact on the match was limited by the fact he lacked regular service.
However, when chances to make a telling contribution did fall his way, the £27 million former Brighton man squandered them.
Trossard has been in fine form for the north London club so far this season. He has already registered three goals and one assist across all competitions. Arteta will need the 28-cap Belgium international to get back to his best quickly. The player also needs to quickly develop some effective on-field chemistry with Havertz.
With Gabriel Martinelli still sidelined with injury, Trossard is likely to start against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. He will need to produce a much improved display against the reigning Premier League champions if he is to help Arsenal secure a positive result.
