Arsenal, looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on the weekend, were put to the sword by a well-drilled Inter Milan in a 1-0 defeat on Wednesday evening – led by the sought-after Simone Inzaghi – in a Champions League outing that highlighted their ongoing deficiencies.
In the midst of an injury crisis with the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori all not up to full fitness, the Gunners – who are currently sitting fifth in the Premier League – struggled to shift out of first gear at the San Siro.
Many players flattered to deceive in the city of Milan, of course, but it is Leandro Trossard who has received the majority of the flak online – with some convinced that he has not proven his weight in gold in terms of being a regular starter for Mikel Arteta.
Signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of £21 million in January 2023, Trossard has long been a decisive figure among the north Londoners’ collection of fans – both those who watch the game in the flesh and from the comfort of their own home.
Inside Trossard’s Struggles Against Inter
Belgian looked lost in Arsenal’s front line
Much has been made of Arsenal’s decision to not sign a natural centre-forward throughout the summer months, with striker-turned-pundit Chris Sutton suggesting that the options of Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and the man in question, Trossard, are not enough for a club with such lofty aspirations.
Stuck in a slight rut thanks to the absence of their chief creator Odegaard – who has been out injured since the start of September after injuring his ankle playing for Norway – and it’s been the Belgian who has been relied on more often than not. What 29-year-old Trossard does not possess, however, is the guile or know-how that the Norwegian does in order to dictate games and take a tie by the scruff of its neck.
Evidently not a centre-forward himself, he was substituted – in favour of youngster Ethan Nwaneri in the 82nd minute – in a switch that the majority of Arsenal fans were craving after a forgettable cameo – one that saw the £90,000-per-week earner enjoy plenty of touches (50) on the ball.
Leandro Trossard – Match Statistics vs Inter | |
|---|---|
Minutes | 82 |
Touches | 50 |
Accurate pases | 32/36 (50%) |
Shots (on target) | 1(0) |
Dribbles attempts (succ.) | 1(1) |
Crosses (succ.) | 2(2) |
Duels (won) | 4(2) |
Possession lost | 7 |
Overall rating | 7.2 |
But it was the lack of joy that he had with the ball at his feet, including his 89% pass accuracy rate (32/26), that will be a major cause for concern for Arteta and his entourage with Odegaard, once again, enjoying just minutes of action upon his long-awaited return.
In fact, Inter’s defence remained relatively unscathed all evening thanks to Trossard and Co’s lacklustre approach in the home side’s half – and that is perfectly illustrated by Trossard’s solitary successful dribble and duo of accurate crosses. Despite boasting 100% rates on both of the aforementioned metrics, the fact that his output is so damning will ring alarm bells among the Emirates Stadium dressing room – from teammates to the management staff.
The Genk academy graduate, who has notched two goals and the solitary assist in 2024/25, in what was always going to be a groggy game, lacked from a duelling perspective – a 50% success rate in his ground battles while failing to even register an aerial duel.
Fans’ Collective Cry to Arteta to Not Start Trossard
‘It so clearly doesn’t work but Arteta won’t try alternatives’
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), there have been plenty of Arsenal fans to have given their six pence on the Wanderschei-born ace, who is widely regarded as one of the best two-footed players in world football, and his poor display against the Italians.
Uninspired by the 39-cap Belgium international’s performance on Italian soil, one fan suggested that his goals shouldn’t be the be all and end all in their evaluation, citing the quality – or the evident lack thereof – of his in-game actions. They wrote:
“I hope people have stopped letting Trossard’s goals cloud their judgement. The quality of his actions in game are so poor it’s unbelievable. Routinely makes bad decisions and turns over the ball easily.”
A second supporter stated: “If Arteta is a serious manager, Trossard should never start for Arsenal again.” while another agreed, suggesting: “I don’t want to see Trossard start for a long, long time when all our squad is fit again.”
On the current state of play surrounding Trossard, one fan suggested that Arteta struggles to get the best out of him in the role he was deployed in against Inter. Slating his inability to make third man runs and lack of dominance in duels, he said:
“Trossard is just useless in this role. Useless. No 3rd man runs, no exit ball for Saka/White, no attacking the last line, no duel dominance, no shots, no slipped/reverse balls… just nothing. And he’s a great player too. Don’t get it twisted. So annoying.”
Arsenal return to Premier League action against London rivals Chelsea – led by Enzo Maresca – on the weekend with them hoping to recover from their European hangover. Whether Trossard will have any involvement, particularly with the full return of Odegaard on the horizon, remains unknown – but Arsenal fans are in complete agreement that his chances of becoming a regular starter are long gone.
All statistics per Sofascore – correct as of 06/11/24