OPINION
Arsenal were gifted a brilliant opportunity to cement their place in the top-four in the league, but three defeats in a row have meant that winning the Europa League is probably going to have to be the way they’re going to guarantee Champions League football next season.
They got half the job done tonight against Unai Emery’s old side Valencia, but they let an away goal in and fans weren’t impressed by the performance of centre-back Sokratis.
It could have been much worse. Their leaky defence let them down again early on as Mouctar Diakhaby was gifted the opening goal for Valencia in just the 11th minute. And Sokratis was perhaps lucky not to see red early on as he showed what one fan called his ‘nasty’ side.
However, two Alexander Lacazette goals in the 18th and 25th minutes turned the tie on its head, and he should have had at least one more in the second-half before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saved his blushes with a very late third for Arsenal.
Sokratis got into the game a bit more later on but you sense there are too many mistakes in him and he had to rely on teammates Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi to bail him too often tonight.
Arsenal have always got goals in them but fans know that Emery will have to completely rebuild the defence in the summer and they let the world know how they felt about Sokratis tonight.
Here are the best reactions from Arsenal fans:
Sokratis is having a nightmare today. Needs to fix up, fast, or it will cost us again in this half.
— FK (@fkhanage) May 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/NeatCallum/status/1124043663632470016
https://twitter.com/WeMoveAFC/status/1124043421767929856
What's wrong with Sokratis?
— gunnerthru (@fartooeasy) May 2, 2019
Yeah Sokratis is shocking
— Kieran (@themeroman) May 2, 2019
True, sokratis has been the shaky one tbf
— #11 (@AfcLucas11) May 2, 2019
Koscielny & Sokratis both at fault there. Mustafi cleaned up their mess. But you won’t hear about it. #Arsenal #AFC
— Make Arsenal Great Again (@WengerOut_Bot) May 2, 2019
Sokratis comical defending there
— JuliusC (@JCAFC14) May 2, 2019
Wish Sokratis was sent off tbh he's trash right now
— Chris.AFC93 (@chrissy1893) May 2, 2019
That was nasty from Sokratis. Lucky to get away without a booking
— RÂK ???? (@rajamsdale) May 2, 2019
Xhaka and Guendouzi. Sokratis and Mustafi. Levels this club has dropped too.
— S. (@Samsports094) May 2, 2019