Arsenal came into this weekend flying high after their 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League. But while Mikel Arteta's side might have easily brushed past the 15-time Kings of Europe, they could only get a draw against Brentford. One of their manager's decisions on the day, regarding Celtic-bound Kieran Tierney, left the London club's supporters unhappy.
Tierney had been handed a rare start by Arteta. He did not end up playing the entire game, though, and was replaced around the hour mark.
Arsenal were leading at that point but would concede an equaliser in the 74th minute of the game. It ended in a 1-1 draw.
There were many Arsenal fans who felt that the decision to take Tierney off was the wrong one, and perhaps they could have avoided conceding if the Scottish left-back had been on the pitch. They made their feelings quite clear on social media.
Arsenal fans unhappy with Mikel Arteta's decision regarding Celtic-bound Kieran Tierney
One Arsenal fan wrote regarding Arteta's decision to replace Tierney: "Why did Arteta take Tierney off? No way would Brentford have got that overlap for the cross that led to the goal if Tierney had been there."
Another said: "Arteta certainly missed it tactically today. The LB was safe with Tierney who kept Mbeumo quiet for much of the game. Why take him out? MLS plays too much up the field & won't return to cover as quickly as Tierney."
It is remarkable how Tierney has played his way back into Arsenal's plans over the last few months. Back in the winter, the club not parting ways with him on loan had seemed like bad news for the Scot, who was barely playing at that point in time. There is a reason he will join Celtic as a free agent in the summer.
Since then, he has become a regular contributor off the bench for Arteta's side and even got the start against Brentford. And clearly, he did well enough for Arsenal fans to have been disappointed when he was taken off.
Then again, it is easy to coach a game in hindsight. One cannot ignore the fact that Tierney has not played a lot of football this season. So, it is very possible that he is not capable of playing the full 90 minutes at the moment. Or at the very least, it would not be ideal.
One should be wary of Tierney's injury history as well. The last thing Celtic need is for him to get injured months before his big return.