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Football London
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Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

David Luiz is already being proved wrong about Willian after 'highlight' in Arsenal defeat

Arsenal's defeat at Aston Villa has seen a number of players come in for criticism.

The Gunners conceded inside the opening two minutes at Villa Park as Ollie Watkins was the beneficiary of some bad defending to score what turned out to be the only goal of the game.

Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino was left unimpressed with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and also described Willian's showing as 'poor'.

Speaking of Willian, the 32-year-old has not had the best of debut seasons at Arsenal following his free transfer from Stamford Bridge last summer, and his performance came just days after fans were urged to be patient.

Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal: Full Mikel Arteta press conference

Fellow Brazilian David Luiz predicted last week that the attacking midfielder would soon 'bring joy' to Arsenal fans after enduring similar struggles after joining from the Blues.

"It's not easy, you change clubs, from one rival to another, you have all the cannons facing you," David Luiz told ESPN Brasil. "Everything you do people will compare.

"Supporters on one side who loved you are sad because you left and are nervous. Supporters on the other side, who cheered against you, are like, 'I’m not going to like this guy who came from the other side'.

"You end up feeling, in a way, just a little until you adapt. My first months weren’t easy, and that’s what I try to pass on to Willian. 'Calm down, things will work out, things will happen. Just keep working because you’re you, there’s no way to change.

"'You're a great person and you’re a great player. Calm down. Things are going to happen'. That’s what we try. Everyone already loves Willian here, so I know that things will happen in the best possible way soon."

Luiz's prediction regarding Willian hasn't exactly gone to plan straight away, as noticed by some Arsenal supporters on Reddit.

The attacking midfielder was a second-half substitute in the 1-0 loss against Villa and the 'highlight' of his afternoon was an under-hit pass that almost resulted in the concession of another goal.

As expected, the response from Gunners fans was not exactly one of joy.

HalfMan-HalfMoth said: "I would be so happy if the club terminated his contract, think he's probably my least favourite player ever to play for the club."

Invalid_username00 said: "I swear to god he’s a sleeper agent. Chelsea must still be secretly paying him or something."

iamuniquefe said: "Has four players in front of him but decides to pass backwards. This player has been a waste of space. I am not pinning the defeat on him but he doesn't contribute anything to our attack."

greenbanana13 said: "What a disgrace..."

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