Woeful Arsenal star ‘a million miles off it’ in Brighton defeat as Arteta makes shock admission

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has hit out at a Gunners star who was “a million miles off it” during Saturday’s humbling at Brighton, as Mikel Arteta made a surprising admission over his first XI selection on the south coast.

The reigning Premier League champions saw their perfect start to the new season crumble in sensational fashion at The Amex, as they suffered a 3-0 loss to Fabian Hurzeler’s flying Seagulls.

And Merson did not hold back in his criticism of summer signing Bruno Guimaraes, claiming he was shocked that the Brazilian was not hauled off at half-time.

Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle for £75million during the summer transfer window, started his first Premier League game for the club against Sunderland last week having recovered from a couple of minor injury setbacks.

He scored a sensational long-range strike at the Stadium of Light, keeping his place in the starting XI alongside Declan Rice, at the expense of Myles Lewis-Skelly, at Brighton.

However, Arteta‘s men were completely overrun by the hosts, with Guimaraes in particular struggling.

The 28-year-old was eventually hooked on the hour mark and replaced by Mikel Merino, and Merson suggests that the contest on the south coast was just ‘too quick’ for Guimaraes.

“A million miles off it. A million miles off it. I said at half time he would come off, but he’s stayed on for another 10 minutes or so,’ Merson said of the Brazil international on Sky Sports.

“It was really quick for him, they closed him down.

“I don’t care how good you are. If people get your head down and close you down and make you work it’s a leveller and that’s what Brighton have done.

“They have been absolutely brilliant.”

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Arteta makes midfield selection blunder admission

With the impressive Lewis-Skelly missing out as a result of Arteta continuing to blood his new partnership of Guimaraes and Rice, Arteta admitted that things did not work out as planned at Brighton.

Speaking after the game about the balance in his engine room and the pairing he selected to start the clash, the Spaniard said: “It worked extremely well when we played Sunderland away and we managed to win the game.

“And today it didn’t work so well for a lot of things that happened as well behind them to make sure that they could play a completely different game.

“That’s something that for sure it will evolve.

“It’s in its early stages, they only play together a few minutes and that relationship will for sure improve and give us a lot of joy.”

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