Watford 2-2 Arsenal player ratings: Unai Emery is to blame

Granit Xhaka – 3/10

Poor. I have no other words to describe Xhaka’s performance but poor. While he did play a few good passes in the second half, he failed to step up when Arsenal needed him most.

He had a chance to put Arsenal ahead again in the final few minutes but his first touch let him down and the ball fizzled out of play. He also misplaced what is usually a simple pass for him, only gifting Watford another chance to play on the counter.

His Arsenal career seems to be long gone and it’s about time that Unai Emery considered other options in the midfield.

Matteo Guendouzi – 5/10

Guendouzi can have mixed emotions about his performance. He played a few wayward passes which could have easily proven costly. However, he was also fairly positive on the attacking front. He is still learning so he can take today’s performance as a learning curve. He was rightfully substituted for Lucas Torreira to add more stability in the midfield.

Dani Ceballos – 6/10

Ceballos was taken off after Watford scored their first goal. this was a good decision by Unai Emery since he knew the game would take a more rough and rigid approach which Ceballos does not suit.

When he was on the pitch, he was lively and always looked to play on the front foot. He acted as Emery’s highest-playing midfielder and he looked to create a few chances for the attackers. It was also nice to see him linking up with Mesut Ozil.