by Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga appeared to storm down the Etihad Stadium tunnel after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup.
The Gunners boss chose to make six changes from Sunday’s 3-2 win over Manchester United. One player who kept his place was Thomas Partey, but he came off with an injury at half-time for Lokonga.
City began to take control after the break, with the breakthrough following a period of sustained pressure. Jack Grealish managed to drag Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bukayo Saka wide, opening space for Ake to attack.
There is space Lokonga should have covered but Ake managed to curl a lovely effort past Matt Turner with his weak foot to send the home crowd wild.
Lokonga’s positioning continued to be a problem throughout the match. When the match went into overtime, Martin Odegaard let his frustrations get the better of him.
The Arsenal captain, who replaced Bukayo Saka in the second half, gestured towards Lokonga as he left his place in the middle of the park.
He attempted to cover it himself as City’s centre-backs searched for an opening. Seeing the clock ticking down, Odegaard tried to force the issue and get the ball from Ilkay Gundogan. The Germany international went down and referee Paul Tierney awarded City a free kick.
Less than minutes later, the match was over and Lokonga was already on his way to the dressing room.
Fans online have reacted to the footage, admitting that the 23-year-old is struggling right now.
One person tweeted: “Odegaard told Lokonga to get into position three times and he still wouldn’t listen.”
Another said, “I’ve seen enough and so have they.”
Someone said, “You can see why Odegaard blasted him.”
While a fourth added: “At one point, Odegaard shouted at Lokonga and pointed to the midfield. Something as basic as being well positioned, the guy is still lacking.”
ITV pundit Roy Keane criticized Arteta’s decision to rotate in such a big game. He said before the game: “We thought he would do one or two but it’s such a gamble to make so many changes at the back, especially with the attacking players Man City have.
“The priority for Arsenal – because they’ve had such a good start – is of course the league. But I think just making so many changes defensively, people talk about the priorities, but it’s still January. They have no midweek game coming up.
“Huge risk and I’m pretty sure it will backfire on him.”
