‘He can’t cross’ - Angry Gunners slam awful Timber after Arsenal blew title race open

The atmosphere in the Arsenal fanbase turned toxic on Thursday night as Gunners’s title charge suffered a significant dent following a frustrating 1-1 draw against Brentford.

While the collective performance was lacklustre, the brunt of the frustration from the Gunners' faithful has been firmly directed at Dutch international Jurrien Timber.

Despite a promising start to his career in North London, the 24-year-old has found himself in the eye of a social media storm, with fans questioning his offensive output and suitability for Mikel Arteta’s current tactical setup.

The draw against the Bees seems to have been the breaking point for many supporters who feel Timber is currently a weak link in an otherwise high-flying side.

Critics have pointed to a perceived lack of attacking threat and a dip in fundamental technical execution. One frustrated supporter took to social media to break down the defender's recent form:

“We need to speak about Jurrien Timber. He can’t cross. He doesn’t overlap enough. His passing range is very basic. Doesn’t help that this manager has him in positions we should have actual attackers in tho. Been awful this calendar year.”

Others suggested that the heavy workload of the season is finally catching up with the versatile defender, calling for the reintroduction of Ben White to the starting XI:

“He’s defo fatigued. Ben white needs minutes. Guy has messed up so many basic passes for weeks now. Try Ben white as we won in almost every game he played.”

A recurring theme in the criticism is that Timber is being asked to play a role that doesn’t suit his natural strengths.

Earlier in the season, Timber thrived in a more reserved role, but recent tactical shifts have seen him pushed further forward.

"It's not a coincidence that he looked great when mostly he was playing wide RCB in buildup while MLS / Zinchenko inverted into midfield. Had no attacking responsibilities, and was a superb defender. Now him and Hincapie are playing WB or even 10 half the time.”

Another fan noted the disconnect between the player's skill set and his deployment:

“Sounds like Timber’s struggling with both his positioning and his skill set, and the manager’s deployment isn’t helping he hasn’t been able to make the impact expected this year."

Interestingly, while the "eye test" from the stands was scathing, the underlying numbers from the Brentford clash suggest Timber wasn't quite as ineffective as the backlash implies.

According to Opta stats, Timber’s output during the 90 minutes included: Chances Created: 1, Key Passes: 1; Crosses: 2 completed (out of 3 attempted); Long Balls: 3 completed (out of 4 attempted).

Despite these respectable numbers, the massive blow to Arsenal’s title aspirations means individual errors are being magnified.

With the race for the title now open again, Mikel Arteta faces a massive decision: stick with the under-fire Dutchman or return to the reliability of White for the season’s defining stretch.