Arsenal boss fumes in ‘frustrating’ new rant after 3-0 West Brom Under-21s win
Arsenal Under-21s manager Mehmet Ali has hit out after his side were beaten 3-0 by West Brom in their Premier League 2 clash on 26 February.
Ali revealed his frustration at the result, as he criticised the pitch at the Halfords Lane academy ground, insisting it prevented his side from finding their rhythm.
The manager did, however, give credit to the young Baggies who stuck to their game plan perfectly and executed a fantastic 3-0 win which saw them move to 19th in PL2.
Speaking to the official Arsenal website, Ali ranted: “We’re used to playing on better surfaces, and it showed tonight as we struggled to get into a rhythm. But what was frustrating was the goals we gave away, and at this level, you can’t give away cheap goals.
“When it’s 1-0 we’re now chasing the game, and they’re sitting back which made it very difficult for us to create opportunities.
“But credit to West Brom, they played in a low block, made it difficult for us and caught us on transition late on. They executed their game plan better than what we did so we’ve got to get better at understanding how we can do better in certain situations.”
A fantastic win for the West Brom Under-21s against Arsenal
Everybody at the academy, from the players involved in the win, the staff that managed it, and any fans following will have been pleased to see Ali struggling to contain his frustration as a result of their impressive display in the 3-0 win.
Baggies academy boss Richard Beale, who has also been bullish in his comments at times this season, will be especially pleased with the outcome as his game plan was perfectly executed by the players.
Coming off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Wolves last time out, a big win against the current third-placed side in the PL2 was the perfect way to put that disappointment behind them.
Players from this team will be looking to break into the senior team in the coming years, and Carlos Corberan has given them new hope of doing so after sharing that he will look to implement more academy stars into the first team.
In other West Brom news, Jed Wallace must step up after a massive injury blow.
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