Arsenal U21s were knocked out of the EFL Trophy last night as they were beaten 3-0 away to Colchester.
It was a very disappointing performance from Mehmet Ali’s side, with the young Gunners unable to take control of the game.
Ali revealed to arsenal.com that the U21s will be playing some behind closed doors matches over the next couple of weeks given that their next competitive fixture isn’t until December 1st, when they take on Brighton.
There will be plenty for Arsenal’s youngsters to reflect upon following last night’s game, with it having been far too easy at times for Colchester to create openings.
Arsenal had actually started their EFL Trophy campaign with a victory against Leyton Orient but that was followed with a draw against MK Dons, which also included a defeat on penalties.
On many occasions so far this season the U21s have lacked aggression in midfield, while there have also been some concerns defensively.
Without Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly to call upon there has also often been a lack of creative flair in midfield.
It will be intriguing to see how the U21s respond when they face Brighton as they look to address a concerning run of form that has seen them lose five of their last six games in all competitions.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
Hi Jeorge, I watched this game live and wanted to hear you take on what will happen to the likes of Edwards and Salah M’hand…like most had a very poor game. But you would expect them to do better then what they did.
I think like a few others they have probably been playing for the U21s for a bit too long. They need to be playing senior football somewhere and could move either in January or next summer.
Was at the game last night and it was a poor performance. Shocking how easily they allowed themselves to be overrun in midfield. Slight improvement towards the end once Dudziak and Rosiak came on but the game was lost by then.
Keeper was nervy from the off and Edwards had no service.
Yeah Brian looked nervous and very uncomfortable playing from the back.