Former Tottenham star Glenn Hoddle criticizes Arsenal captain Bukayo Saka’s post-match demeanor following a frustrating 2-2 Premier League draw against bottom-of-the-table Wolves.
Arsenal Blow Two-Goal Lead
Arsenal surrendered a commanding 2-0 advantage to draw with Wolves, who entered the match with just nine points from 26 games. Saka, leading the team in place of the injured Martin Odegaard, opened the scoring with a header from Declan Rice’s cross in the fifth minute.
Despite a subpar performance, Piero Hincapie doubled the lead after halftime, positioning Arsenal for a victory that would extend their gap over Manchester City to seven points. However, Wolves mounted a stunning comeback. Hugo Bueno struck on the hour mark, and Tom Edozie equalized in injury time, securing their 10th point of the season.
Saka Addresses Disappointment
Saka described the dressing room atmosphere as “very flat” after the draw. “I’m very disappointed with the result and especially how we played in the second half,” Saka said. “It’s far from the level that we’ve set this season. It’s time for us to reflect on the few performances and just fix the issues immediately so we can get back to winning games and build momentum.”
Dismissing talk of pressure in the title race, Saka added: “No, I don’t think about all of that. I just think we need to get back to our level, do the basics right. We’ve got more than enough quality in this team to win games, especially the ones where we’ve been dropping points recently. We just need to fix that.”
Hoddle’s Harsh Assessment
Arsenal legend Martin Keown supported Saka’s words, noting the team remains committed and will step up. However, Hoddle took issue with Saka’s body language as captain. “That’s interesting because he was the skipper tonight,” Hoddle said. “He was very honest, saying they need to do better. But his demeanour wasn’t right. It needs to be a little bit more up; he was very flat.”
Hoddle highlighted Arsenal’s recent struggles against Brentford and Wolves as signs of growing self-doubt. “A few months ago, they were authoritative, saying ‘we’re Arsenal and we’re going to win the title.’ Now they’re under pressure, and it’s all about mentality. They need to be strong and together. There’s doubt in their minds now, and they’ve got huge games ahead.”
Arteta Demands Improvement
Manager Mikel Arteta expressed frustration over the dropped points. “Incredibly disappointed that we gave two points away,” Arteta stated. “What we did in the second half was nowhere near our standards. Certain basics we did so poorly, one after the other. When you don’t perform, you get punished, and we have to accept it.”
Arsenal face Tottenham in the north London derby next, a pivotal clash in their title pursuit after Spurs recently parted ways with Thomas Frank.
