Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video
Stats are an important addition to the soccer expertise, however yesterday’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham is a basic instance of a recreation by which solely eyes are essential to make your judgement. The stats may recommend Arsenal dominated, had 20 makes an attempt on aim to West Ham’s 5, and from that you just may suppose we have been unfortunate in a roundabout way.
Nothing could possibly be farther from the reality. The stark actuality is that West Ham had one of the best possibilities. Within the first half Thomas Soucek headed over from shut vary; Jarrod Bowen flashed a shot broad after Aaron Wan Bissaka did effectively down their proper hand aspect; and within the second half Bowen virtually made it 2-0, simply failing to make contact with an important cross that got here in from the left hand-side as he peeled off the again of Gabriel.
On the different finish, there was nothing a lot to put in writing residence about. A Riccardo Calafiori shot within the first half, a Leandro Trossard effort within the second which the keeper saved together with his foot, and that was about it. This isn’t a recreation you may look again on and suppose ‘If solely’ when it comes to golden alternatives we missed – as a result of there weren’t any.
This was a dismal efficiency from begin to end. Within the absence of so many key attacking gamers, we would have liked these we needed to step up, and people round them to supply help. I can’t be too crucial of a central midfielder being pressed into motion as a centre-forward if he doesn’t play that position brilliantly, and I believe there’s good purpose why a gifted 17 12 months previous can’t shine like he did the week beforehand – consistency is a troublesome factor to attain within the early a part of any profession.
However, I believe we are able to have a look at skilled gamers and count on higher. I assumed Declan Rice was very poor for the aim we conceded, monitoring the run all the best way, after which simply letting Bowen go. Gabriel wasn’t nice there both, the 2 appeared to cross off the accountability to one another with zero communication, and after Calafiori most likely may have carried out extra to cease the cross. A free header from shut vary was a dagger to the center for this Arsenal staff.
You may’t concede a aim like that in our present state of affairs. We now have to be defensively stable as a result of objectives are arduous to return by with out our attacking choices the best way they’re. However, I believe yesterday went past accidents. They didn’t assist, clearly, however it is a movie we’ve all seen earlier than once we’ve been confronted with a staff who play with a again 5, a compact midfield which we are able to’t play by way of or round, and who keep organised to do the fundamentals effectively.
I believe it’s a day the place even when we had Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriels Martinelli and Jesus, we most likely nonetheless would have struggled, as a result of these are sometimes the video games we discover most troublesome beneath the tenure of this supervisor. They’re Mikel Arteta’s Kryptonite. Possibly that further high quality helps us discover a approach by way of ultimately, however I’m 99% sure we’d have needed to huff and puff with out actually discovering any sort of rhythm.
We have been clearly lacking these gamers, however I don’t suppose that’s an excuse for a staff efficiency that was this under par. When the supervisor himself makes that clear, refusing in any solution to blame accidents or absences, I don’t suppose it’s a controversial opinion in any approach:
I by no means felt that we have been on the requirements or the degrees we would have liked to have extra risk after which don’t permit them to run. I’m speaking concerning the requirements of the gamers and the staff that we performed as we speak, me included 100%, have been nowhere close to the degrees that we’ve got to hit to have the chance to win a Premier League recreation as we speak. it was nowhere close to.
He was having not one of the suggestion it was about accidents, and it’s clear this was a efficiency which actually irked him. Which is one thing I believe most individuals can resonate with this morning. I didn’t actually have any problem with the beginning XI, Merino up high shouldn’t be ultimate however what else is there? That’s a wider problem, and I don’t suppose there’s a lot level in re-litigating January as a result of all the things about that has already been stated, however between accidents and an absence of switch exercise, the chickens got here residence to roost yesterday.
I believe even with these gamers absent, we should count on extra from the gamers accessible. Martin Odegaard appears to be like an extended, good distance from his finest proper now – whether or not it’s harm or lack of type or a mix of each of these issues, the dynamism and affect is gone from his recreation on the worst doable time. And once more, squad constructing comes into focus as a result of there’s no person to fill the hole. Final season we may have turned to Emile Smith Rowe or Fabio Vieira, and whereas your mileage could differ on their capacity to make a distinction, they have been choices at the very least.
I discovered the Declan Rice substitution an odd one. Was he having a great recreation? No. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that he and Calafiori, each implicated to some extent for the Bowen aim, have been the boys hauled off early within the second half, however to take our greatest nook taker off on a day like this felt unusual – as a result of a set-piece appeared our most probably solution to make a breakthrough. The very fact it was in opposition to his former membership and in simply the 56th minute was much more so, and if you exchange him with a left-back who you will have by no means proven any inclination of utilizing as a midfielder earlier than (regardless of repeated questions on it), it felt fairly pointed, slightly than only a solution to attempt to change the sport. Maybe I’m studying an excessive amount of into it, but it surely wasn’t a health factor, so it obtained my spider senses tingling somewhat.
The distress of the day was compounded by the sending off of Myles Lewis-Skelly, when a yellow was upgraded to crimson for foul on Mohammed Kudus on the midway line. I believe we’ve had some bullshit crimson playing cards this season, together with one for MLS himself however this was one we are able to don’t have any complaints about. I see chat a couple of foul by Kudus, but it surely’s one the place I believe we’ve got to simply accept Lewis-Skelly made the improper determination on the ball, obtained caught out, and we paid the value. With David Raya to date out of his aim, I believe it’s a transparent goalscoring alternative and we’ll need to do with out him for the journey to Forest on Wednesday night.
Raheem Sterling got here on to make zero impression once more past a poor free kick, and Ben White changed Saliba late on. I did marvel why we didn’t see Jorginho come on for Thomas Partey, even for 15-20 minutes. Should you’re ready to take Rice off for Zinchenko (who was worse than the person he changed by a long way in my view), I don’t actually perceive why you wouldn’t try this. A aim might need been helpful, relying on what occurs as we speak, and if the supervisor is offended (and to be honest he included himself in that), not doing all the things you may to vary a recreation must be a part of that.
It was a efficiency which calls for some introspection, however one we are able to’t permit to fester with a giant recreation arising this week. The response must be fast, however the low-level nervousness a show like that produces goes to resonate for just a few days at the very least. There’s not loads he can do in a different way together with his staff choice for Wednesday, however he has to get much more from those self same gamers in opposition to a staff who will invite us to interrupt them down in a lot the identical approach West ham did. That’s an issue he has to resolve.
All in all, it was a horrible day for Arsenal, and an important one for Liverpool. What slim hope there was of sustaining the title race has all however evaporated now. You might need come to phrases with that prior to now, but it surely’s nonetheless a painful one – notably as a win yesterday would have closed the hole and utilized a little bit of strain. We let ourselves down, and we allow them to off the hook.
Until tomorrow.
