Michael Owen says Arsenal have a naive player who still has a lot to learn

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Arsenal have been brilliant this season, but the Gunners do still have some serious flaws.

Indeed, this weekend’s defeat against Aston Villa further served to show that Arsenal may need a new striker through the door at some point.

The Gunners were flat in front of goal against Villa, and they also struggled to really create anything either.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Michael Owen has been discussing Arsenal’s striking issues and Gabriel Jesus, and he gave the Brazilian a damning review after the Villa match.

Michael Owen’s criticism of Gabriel Jesus

Owen spoke about Jesus’ performance against Aston Villa and his striking IQ.

“That should’ve been a big chance, if he gets onside and runs across. But he’s offside. Yes he’s a fantastic player, I love watching him, I love his workrate and he has a fantastic touch, but he has a lot to learn about centre-forward play, particularly off the ball,” Owen said.

Gabriel Jesus isn’t like other strikers

It’s interesting to hear Michael Owen of all people say this.

The former England star was one of the all-time greats when it came to moving as a striker. He knew how to get into the right positions at speed, and he always moved with the idea of scoring a goal in mind.

However, Jesus isn’t that type of striker.

The Brazilian is much more focused on linking play, finding the right passes and making decoy runs to open up space.

It’s another effective way to play, but the reality is that you want a centre-forward in your team who is going to be piercing defences rather than just shuffling them around.

Jesus can be a great weapon, but as Owen says, he has a lot to learn about playing as a centre-forward for a top club.

At the age of 27 now, we have to wonder whether Jesus will ever develop these sorts of skills.