Owen believes the Arsenal player ought to have been yelling at his teammate in the dressing room following the draw with Palace.

Michael Owen expressed that William Saliba should’ve lit up the dressing room after Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, calling out goalkeeper David Raya for his poor positioning.

 

Despite Arsenal twice taking the lead through Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard, they couldn’t hold on—thanks to stunning strikes from Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Palace looked the more likely to snatch a late win, dominating the final ten minutes.

 

Mateta’s equalizer stemmed from Saliba losing the ball just outside his box. The striker then coolly chipped Raya, whose positioning had been pinpointed by Oliver Glasner as something to exploit.

 

On Premier League Productions, Owen criticized Raya for failing to react fast enough: “Everyone knows he plays high, but when Saliba was clearly turning away from danger, Raya should’ve adjusted quicker. He gave Saliba no safe option.”

 

“If I were Saliba,” Owen continued, “I’d be shouting at him. When I’m in a tight spot, I need to know you’re there as a reliable outlet.”

 

Adding to the scrutiny, ex-Arsenal man Martin Keown voiced worries over the team’s growing tendency for lapses in focus—particularly with a massive clash against PSG looming in the Champions League semi-finals.