Ex-Villa man picks out ‘two useless defenders’ at Arsenal

Will Ford
David Luiz Shkodran Mustafi Arsenal

Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has labelled Arsenal duo David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi as “useless defenders”.

Luiz and Mustafi have produced a number of below-par performances this season for for the Gunners with Mikel Arteta’s side struggling to perform in the Premier League.

Luiz put in a decent performance before being substituted with injury in their 2-1 victory over Sheffield United on Sunday but Agbonlahor is concerned by the lack of leaders in the Arsenal dressing room.


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“No-one there is going to go into that changing room and absolutely scream and shout, there’s no-one,” Agbonlahor – speaking before Arsenal’s win over the Blades – told the TheConv3rsation podcast (via The Metro).

“They’ll probably be in there and just like ‘oh unlucky David Luiz let’s have a game of Nintendo DS on the coach afterwards’. There are no leaders in there, there’s no Tony Adams, Ray Parlour or Martin Keown.

“The next game Luiz plays, if he has a beast, I’m telling you Arsenal TV, Troopz and all the guys will be outside the stadium causing carnage.

“I heard on the radio the other day someone said he’s a world-class defender, he was. I remember we played against him for Villa in 2006 in a pre-season friendly. He was at Benfica and Martin O’Neill chased him around the pitch to hug him because he was so good.

 

“He’s had a great career but it’s like anyone, when you get that bit older you lose your legs and pace. He’s a defender that like to be so casual, he likes to have a bit of fun back there. He gets bored, he should be a defensive midfielder in a team when he’s got runners around him.

“He’ll have a bit of fun as a defensive midfielder, ping his balls and go and take some shots.

 

“But a centre-half? Honestly if I was anyone in this League now playing against David Luiz, my team-talk before the game as a manager would be to target him.

“Balls down the channels, because he hasn’t got the legs and he’s not a Premier League defender anymore. No offence to him, but he’s just not,  he’s not got the legs and the speed anymore.

“If there were fans in the stadium, David Luiz plays again and he makes one mistake those fans will do what they did to (Granit) Xhaka.

“Mustafi is just as bad, so to have two useless defenders…Arsenal fans must be thinking what’s going on here? From Adams and Keown to these two…”