Jamie Redknapp has claimed that Cristian Romero has been unable to come to grips with the zonal marking style that Ange Postecoglou wants to implement on set pieces.
Despite missing arguably two of their best players along with their star summer signings, the Gunners have come out triumphant at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their North London derby on Sunday afternoon.
But that victory was by no means an easy one as Spurs dominated the opening portion of the game, with only Dominic Solanke’s hesitancy and David Raya’s heroics stopping them from breaking the deadlock.
Both sets of fans were no doubt slightly relieved at the referee’s half-time whistle after an intense and nail-biting opening 45 minutes came to an end with Tottenham dominating the possession.
However, the second-half was far more tame with Mikel Arteta’s side clearly more composed on the ball as they slowly grew into the game.
Jamie Redknapp claims Cristian Romero looked “lost” against Arsenal
It was the Gunners who finally found the breakthrough after a lot of patience and in typical fashion, the goal came from a set piece with Gabriel Magalhaes towering above Romero to power the ball into the roof of the net.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Redknapp criticised the Argentine defender’s lack of awareness in the area and highlighted how he has struggled to adapt to the zonal marking system.
“He never really got to grips with Gabriel,” he said.
“Last year in this fixture, Romero was doing zonal marking, I think he struggles when he has to man-to-man mark. He just gets a little bit lost.”
The games are coming thick and fast for Arteta’s men with clashes against Atalanta and Manchester City awaiting them next week.
Credit: Top photos by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images and George Wood/Getty Images