Garth Crooks says Arsenal star David Luiz should have been subbed against Liverpool

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BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has written in his weekly Team of the Week column that Arsenal boss Unai Emery should have subbed David Luiz on Saturday.

The Brazilian was given the runaround by Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah during the 3-1 defeat for the Gunners.

Crooks chose Salah for his Team of the Week but Luiz bore the brunt of his criticism from the Anfield contest.

He told the BBC Sport website: “Poor David Luiz had one of his days. He does have them from time to time but this one was a howler. Salah skipped around Luiz for his second goal like he didn’t exist.

“Under normal circumstances, Luiz would have taken Salah out but the Brazil international had already been booked. Which begs the question, why didn’t Unai Emery take him off and replace him with Sead Kolasinac or Calum Chambers?”

Luiz signed for Arsenal in the summer, costing £8 million from London rivals Chelsea (BBC Sport).

TBR Verdict

If Saturday proved anything it’s that Arsenal aren’t quite ready to challenge for major honours just yet.

They did show enough fight at Anfield, however, to suggest that they can progress this season.

Luiz is a decent signing; he represents an obvious upgrade on Shkodran Mustafi for example. He isn’t going to be the messiah, however, and Crooks is right that he can occasionally look all over the place.

Arsenal should avoid any slip-ups against the lesser teams in the division this season but toppling the big four might still prove problematic for the Gunners.