01 January 2024 , 09:00
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Jamie Redknapp has laid into Takehiro Tomiyasu following Arsenal's disappointing 2-1 defeat to Fulham on New Year's Eve, claiming he looked "lost" after coming on at half-time.
Arsenal missed an opportunity to go top of the league at Craven Cottage, with Bukayo Saka giving them an early lead before goals from Raul Jimenez and Bobby De Cordova-Reid turned things around and earned Fulham a well-deserved three points.
And Redknapp was particularly critical of Tomiyasu and Arteta's tactics after the match, with first-choice left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko absent with a calf issue. As a result, Jakub Kiwior made just his third league start of the season and was then replaced by Tomiyasu at half-time.
However, Redknapp felt Tomiyasu made "a nuisance of himself for his own team" when he came on as he criticised Arteta's use of inverted full-backs. "[Saka's goal] should have been the catalyst for Arsenal to go on and win this game so comfortably," Redknapp told Sky Sports.
"They've got the players to do it. But they didn't have that spark today. We talk about whether they're getting enough goals but I look at the full-backs and what are they bringing at the moment.
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"He tried the change at half-time. Tomiyasu comes into midfield and all he did was make a nuisance of himself for his own team. He was never given any width. He looked lost in there.
"Midfield, they weren't quite right, they weren't creating enough so they weren't going to score goals. So much possession without the purpose you need. When you feel like the forwards aren't producing, that puts the pressure on the defence.
Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu shields the ball from Andreas Pereira (Getty)"You're trying to force things at times and leave yourself a little bit exposed. It's symptomatic of what Arsenal are right now. They're a bit lost, they've got to find their confidence. They have Manchester City breathing down their necks.
"There are other sides. People thought Arsenal would go on and this might be a bit of a procession for them. This might be the reality check they need. Because they're right off it at the moment."
Arsenal are not back in Premier League action until January 20 when they host Crystal Palace and they currently sit two points behind top of the table Liverpool, although Jurgen Klopp's side have a chance to go five points clear when they take on Newcastle.