Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video
After a 22 sport unbeaten run, Arsenal tasted defeat in opposition to one of many ‘massive six’ yesterday, taking place 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield. Typically you’re effectively overwhelmed – outplayed and deserving of nothing a lot from a sport; typically you lose due to a single mistake or a second of high quality, and for me that’s the story of this one.
With Martin Odegaard deemed unfit to begin regardless of touring with the squad, Mikel Arteta selected Mikel Merino to switch him in midfield. It’s not what I’d have most well-liked, however I don’t know why anyone could be remotely shocked by that call. Newcastle gave Liverpool issues final Monday with a giant, robust, bodily midfield, and I feel that performed a component. To not point out the Spanish worldwide’s expertise which I feel noticed the supervisor decide him over Ethan Nwaneri, an 18 12 months outdated who has performed nearly an hour in that midfield place over the course of his profession.
We weren’t helped by an damage sustained by William Saliba within the warm-up. He suffered an ankle sprain, insisted he may play, however inside minutes he needed to come off, changed by Cristhian Mosquera. When you think about the damage listing, this was the very last thing we wanted, however the younger Spaniard was one of many actual positives of the day from an Arsenal perspective. His efficiency was assured, assured, and he wasn’t in any respect flustered by the standard of the opposition or the ambiance. It was very promising from the 21 12 months outdated. I additionally thought Riccardo Calafiori had his greatest sport for Arsenal, defensively a minimum of, and I loved that facet of his efficiency.
Regardless of the lack of a key participant … one other key participant, I ought to say… I assumed we had the higher of the primary half. That stated, it was low high quality fare from either side, and I feel you would say the groups form of cancelled one another out. I discover loads of the post-game narrative about how Arsenal being too cautious somewhat unusual. There’s no query Arteta is a supervisor who will err on that aspect of issues, however there’s a high-quality line between warning and customary sense, and if you go to Anfield with out Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Ben White, an Odegaard not match to begin, an unfit Leandro Trossard on the bench, and then you definitely lose somebody like Saliba that early, it has an impression on the way you put together and what you are able to do.
I feel Liverpool could be equally affected in the event that they didn’t have Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo and misplaced Virgil van Dijk within the 4th minute. But they’d these gamers, they have been at house, and if Arsenal will be accused of being too cautious, why can’t the identical be true of Liverpool? The free-scoring champions have been at house in opposition to a depleted Arsenal, and past that second of magic from the significantly spectacular Dominik Szoboszlai, they didn’t actually threaten us in any possible way. There have been a few pictures David Raya handled simply, an offside aim (effectively offside too), and that was it. This was warning from each managers. If Arteta’s mindset was ‘first we don’t lose’, the very the identical applies to Arne Slot.
If we’re correctly analysing the sport, that’s what I take away. If it’s simply the consequence, then in fact it may be framed otherwise. One piece of brilliance and Liverpool have the mark of champions and Arsenal’s mentality is questioned. I don’t assume it’s as binary as that, however the actuality is that they took 3 factors, and we’ve none, and that hurts. I additionally don’t assume the thought of Arteta being overly cautious stacks up if you take a look at the adjustments he made – bringing on two very attacking gamers with 20 minutes to go at 0-0 tells you what he wished to do, however in the long run it was an excellent free kick on the different finish which settled the sport.
The place I’d have some criticism is the timing of these adjustments. We don’t know precisely how match Odegaard is (I believe not very) and the way a lot he was able to, however there’s little doubt Eberechi Eze may have come on earlier to switch Gabriel Martinelli who had one other worryingly detached day on the workplace. On the opposite aspect, Noni Madueke confirmed what a winger with intent and need to essentially go at his reverse quantity may do, however the Brazilian seems to be a person shorn of confidence, in a form of funk that has lasted too lengthy to not increase severe questions on his place on this Arsenal pecking order.
Viktor Gyokeres struggled with out a lot in the way in which of service, and our set-pieces weren’t as efficient – notably with Declan Rice pressured to take out-swinging corners. That’s the other of what we all the time do, and maybe another excuse why in the present day’s efficiency was missing one thing from an attacking perspective. Once more although, it was true of Liverpool too, and no matter what you consider xG as a metric or a means of judging what we’ve seen, it tells a little bit of a narrative. They produced 0.52 to our 0.49 – this was a very tight sport with few possibilities of high quality for both aspect, and it was determined by one excellent strike of the ball.
On that, I feel each Rice and Martin Zubimendi have been caught out by the motion of Curtis Jones who ghosted between them, and I believe when Arteta seems to be again at this sport he’ll wince at how van Dijk was allowed to play a 40 yard cross straight by way of the centre of our midfield. Zubimendi performed the chances and made a foul 30 yards out. He snuffed out the hazard, took the yellow, considering it must be one thing very particular for Liverpool to attain from there. Lengthy odds, however Szoboszlai rolled a pair of sixes.
I’ve seen dialogue of Raya’s positioning, however typically I feel you need to acknowledge there are pictures no keeper can save, and when a free kick goes in off the publish from that vary, this was one in all them. We perhaps had an opportunity to hit again when Eze obtained into the field however didn’t get a shot away, and I’ve to say I discovered the introduction of Max Dowman over Ethan Nwaneri a wierd one. Sure, the story of the 15 12 months outdated is great, however we wanted a aim. Nwaneri scored 9 final season, primarily when deployed on the suitable hand aspect, and perhaps Arteta obtained caught up within the romance of Dowman, and may have – dare I say – taken the extra ‘cautious’ possibility of an 18 12 months outdated with a monitor document of scoring objectives on the highest degree.
Afterwards, Arteta stated:
We didn’t do our gameplan to frustrate them; we did it to win it. I feel we elevated the sport and the dominance to some extent that they needed to increase it. They did, particularly from the 60-78th minute, when then you would see that there have been no margins within the sport. When that occurs, the sport goes to be determined in two methods. One, with a person error, and two, with a magic second. Szoboszlai created a second that was unbelievable, that has received the sport, and that was the distinction, nothing else.
As I stated, I feel there have been tweaks Arteta may have made a bit earlier, however I don’t assume he’s essentially improper about the way in which this one performed out. With out that free kick, we take a strong, if considerably dour, level at Anfield, go into the Interlull in fairly first rate form after the primary three video games, and with lots nonetheless to work on. The latter stays true, however it’s clearly colored by the actual fact we don’t have that time and Liverpool have all three. I’ll say the actual fact this sport came about so early in season means whereas it’s a blow, it’s removed from a deadly one. There’s loads of time to make up for this. Additionally, it wasn’t way back Arsenal have been routinely getting pummeled in fixtures like this, the actual fact this our first defeat in 22 video games in opposition to the so-called ‘massive’ groups (and Sp*rs) is value remembering. Once more, it’s that line between warning and customary sense when it comes to your strategy.
There’s additionally lots for Arteta to consider throughout the break. At the beginning, for me a minimum of, is an damage listing that’s actually worrying. We’re shedding a participant a sport, if no more, and that may’t proceed, no matter how deep the squad we’ve constructed this summer season. There are additionally choices to be made about how we set-up going ahead, so we will be extra of an attacking menace, and I count on Eze to change into a characteristic within the beginning XI when the Premier League resumes once more in a few weeks time. That left-hand aspect must click on, as a result of for the time being it’s like making an attempt to run a race on one leg, and I feel if we make it work, we get extra out of Gyokeres too.
Proper, that’s your lot in the present day. James and I recorded an Arsecast Further not lengthy after the ultimate whistle final evening, so it’s obtainable for you under now and in all the standard podcast locations.
It’s switch deadline day in the present day too, and having performed most of our incoming enterprise already, we’re going to eschew a reside weblog. The window closes at 7pm, we’re anticipating the arrival of Piero Hincapie, and a few departures earlier than the deadline, and we’ll deliver you all of the confirmed strikes as and once they occur on Arseblog Information. For now, have a terrific Monday.
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