‘Disappointing’: BBC pundit says £27m Arsenal player has really let him down recently

Arsenal have hit something of a slump in recent weeks.

It’s not quite panic stations in north London quite yet, but their recent form in the Premier League hasn’t been brilliant.

The Gunners have won just three of their last six league games, and Arsenal are being tipped to lose to Liverpool this weekend too.

Arsenal clearly aren’t the force they ought to be at the moment, and speaking on the BBC Radio Five Live Football Daily Podcast, Nigel Reo-Coker has highlighted one Arsenal player in particular for criticism.

Indeed, Reo-Coker says that Leandro Trossard has been quite disappointing as of late.

Trossard has had a run in the team recently in the absence of Martin Odegaard, and Reo-Coker hasn’t been too impressed by the Belgian in this time.

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Leandro Trossard has been disappointing for Arsenal

Reo-Coker shared his verdict on Trossard and it’s fair to say he’s not liked what he’s seen recently.

Reo-Coker says the £27m man is much better as a bench player, claiming that he isn’t making the same sort of impact when he starts a game.

“It’s not individuals, it’s a real team effort. And as well as Kai Havertz has done stepping up, it’s still going to take a team effort,” Reo-Coker said.

I think the disappointing one for me is Trossard for me. I feel Trossard is better as an impact player coming off the bench than a starter because you just don’t get the same impact from him when he starts the game. So I know they’ve got some young, talented players also on the bench.”

Is Leandro Trossard better off the bench?

Reo-Coker says that Trossard is better when he comes off the bench, and it’s interesting to look at the stats for when Trossard starts and when he comes off the bench.

As you can see, Trossard is slightly more effective off the bench, with is minutes per goal contribution record being much better.

Although, some context does need to be added to that. When Trossard comes off the bench, he’s often playing against tired defenders, making his job that much easier, while Arsenal will be playing in a more attacking style as they’re often chasing a goal.

Interestingly, Trossard’s assist numbers as a substitute are rather poor, while his goalscoring numbers are remarkable.

135 minutes per goal contribution as a starter is far from a poor return, and if Trossard can rediscover his best form, he will be vital for Arsenal.

Ian Wright has previously hailed Trossard’s ability to impact games as a substitute, and while there is something to be said about that ability to make the difference late on, in the absence of Martin Odegaard, the Belgian is probably Arsenal’s best option at the moment as a starter.