At the start of the season, Leandro Trossard was dubbed criminally underrated – now he appears to be harvesting a reputation as an Arsenal scapegoat.
The 29-year-old Belgian received a huge outcry of support and sympathy in the aftermath of his controversial red card at Manchester City but the compassion has since descended into frustration following last Saturday’s events at Bournemouth.
It’s been well documented that Trossard’s costly, wayward back pass stitched up colossal central defender William Saliba, who was later given his marching orders for hauling down Cherries frontman Evanilson.
And Mikel Arteta could quite easily have dropped the ex-Brighton forward against Shakhtar Donetsk but instead, he remained faithful to his £27million signing – a decision which is now likely to be scrutinised ahead of Sunday’s crunch Premier League clash with Liverpool.
That’s because on the basis of this showing, Trossard is evidently not playing his best football and it would appear, from the outside, that recent events may have taken a mental toll upon the winger, who squandered a second-half penalty on Tuesday night against the Ukrainians.
In the background of all this, Arsenal supporters are growing desperate for Arteta to unleash Hale End Academy ace Ethan Nwaneri but the stubborn Spaniard seems reluctant to comply – despite his love for the player.
The 17-year-old struck twice against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup and while admittedly, it was notably weaker opposition, he showcased exactly why he is one of the hottest young talents in all of world football.
Trossard has been an ever-present figure in the absence of injured captain Martin Odegaard but after a particularly underwhelming Champions League display – Arteta’s loyalty to the player will now be thrown into question on a night where Arsenal looked slightly stale.
