HUGE ARSENAL WIN, BUT NAGGING DOUBTS RESURFACE
Oh, it’s going to be pure pain from now until the end of the season. If you had an idea in your head that we’d be breezing past teams like Chelsea with no problems, or you had this hopeful idea that one or two of our superstars were about to click into GOD MODE, then once again, you are totally wrong.
I want to start this off by clarifying in the most antisocial of ways… ARSENAL LANDED THREE POINTS. THAT IS THE F*CKING STORY.
Yeah, we can mince around about how those three points were earned. I will go on to talk about the things that upset me, but really, with 10 games to go at the start of Sunday morning, all that mattered was extending our lead over Man City to 5 points.
Was the performance there? Kind of. Arsenal were extremely dominant early on in the game, we had Chelsea very rattled, and we took the lead deservedly from another awesome set piece. Saka found Gabriel at the back post, or should I say, Gabriel surged the back post, nodded the ball back to Saliba, who bundled the ball in from 4 yards out.
But, life isn’t fair, and right now, Arsenal are on a terrible streak of getting punished to the max in all our games. This time, we were slapped up by a set piece from Chelsea. Reece James whipped a ball into the front post, Hincapie tried to clear it, but ended up putting it into the far corner past David Raya. A really classy finish, you have to say. Absolute jokes that it was 1-1 and Chelsea hadn’t hit the target with a shot of their own.
The frustrating part about the half is Arsenal were really good for the most part, but in the final third, we lacked final execution. Viktor Gyokeres and Eze kept their places deservedly after their heroics against Spurs, but sadly for those manifesting career tipping points for the beleagured pair, the Chelsea game did not give them what they needed to beat the allegations.
Hard to say Eze was a passenger; he was just a player who didn’t have the magic in his boots. His touch was fat, his passing wasn’t measured, and he just wasn’t much of a threat. There was a fear factor about him at Palace that he hasn’t managed to bring to his Arsenal career yet. We’re in a creative situation where our captain is tapping out of games the day before and his replacement, who cost £68m, looks a ways off the level.
Viktor Gyokeres’ decline wasn’t a surprise to me. This is a player who hasn’t managed a single shot on target against a top 10 side this season. His superfans keep telling me all the reasons it isn’t working out for him, but it’s quite clear to me, and to players like Hincapie and Trossard who were passing to harder options when he was on… the player doesn’t cut it. He had two one-vs-ones that he totally fluffed his lines on. The second one against Chalobah was just before halftime… just before the ball went down the other end and Chelsea scored from a corner. It’s a tiring thing to have to keep writing about, especially when I’m watching Sesko come good now that he’s working with a coach that knows how to bring a bit of joy to Manchester.
But we can’t just call out those two. My biggest concern right now is the drop-off of Bukayo Saka. I know, last week we were praising the underrated parts of the job he’s done… but I’m going to be selfish for a minute here. I am BEGGING to write articles bemoaning our overreliance on Saka. I haven’t come close this season. He’s a great player who has set wild standards for his role in the team, and he’s not really hitting the heights. How can you not hit the target or have a shot when you’re lining up against Jorrel Hato at left back? We have to demand more from our highest-paid player because we know where his ceiling is at, and for me, he’s nowhere near his level right now.
The second half followed a trajectory that is now beginning to look like a pattern… we are a very nervous team. If you can take Arsenal to the last 20 minutes with a goal in it, we will gift chances, our game will drop, and it will be a problem.
The good news is Declan Rice dropped another worldie set piece, allowing Jurrien Timber the freedom of Chelsea’s penalty box to put us back in the lead. You kind of hoped that would be a catalyst for Arsenal to push on and do some damage, but it didn’t, and we started to slide.
Arsenal were lucky that Darren England sent off Pedro Neto for his foul on Martinelli, because even with 10 men, Chelsea were looking the better side. Literally cutting through us and creating openings that had my bowels dancing like Jamiroquai.
I wanted to believe this was fatigue-induced, but I think it’s deeper than that… we’re a team that has no muscle memory for Premier League wins, and that is manifesting in shaky performances. Bravery goes out the window, mistakes creep into our game, and everything looks a bit rudderless. I don’t know how we solve for this. It would help if the killers we signed could do some killing early in the game so we’re not holding onto one-goal leads. It would help if Declan Rice was looking a bit fresher. The man is clearly gassed, and I pray that Arteta starts looking after him. We cannot win the league if we break him.
I’d also love our best players to just believe in themselves a little more. I know, that sounds fucking lame coming from someone who makes pretty pictures for a living… but we all know, in our own boring lives, that belief is a powerful drug, especially if you are already talented. Champions gut out games like that. We need to return to being the most boring team in the league in the last 20. There was no reason to allow that game to hit those spice levels. Watching David Raya scramble to paw that cross/shot wide nearly killed a lot of us. We don’t need our older relatives dropping dead because of these unnecessary moments.
But, to remind everyone who went through that pain… we did win the game. We are still top of the league by 5 points. Chelsea was the hardest of our home games during the run-in. We have to be very thankful the boys did the job, even if it was a touch DISGUSTING.
So what is the job Arteta has to do now? He has to work out why we’re fading late in games and solve it. But really, the bigger mission is far clearer to me… he has to find some chemistry with his forwards because we’re only in these bad situations because our final third play is a borderline hate crime right now.
The solve for me is clear… we need to see more of Kai Havertz. He was the player that unleashed a more direct, vertical Arsenal a month ago. There are questions whether he should take up the 10 role because he vibed with Gyokeres or whether he should just be our 9. At this point, I’m favoring having a forward line of players who can do the basics right. Kai at number 9 feels more likely to give life to Saka, Eze, and Martinelli. He has been part of big runs before and he’s just a more reliable body to have upfront. If the ball doesn’t stick to your forward, you are at a disadvantage. If your creative players don’t like going through the middle, you’re going to be easy to plan against. If Gyokeres is the guy for the weaker teams, so be it, let that be the way. But I can’t keep seeing the same outcomes and hearing the same tired excuses. A striker shouldn’t be this complicated to get right when they cost £55m.
We also need to see Arteta take the fitness of Declan and Zubi a little more seriously once we get through Wednesday. I don’t want to see either of them playing against Mansfield. If there’s a chance he’s damaged, rest him against Brighton. When the player whose superpower is outrageous fitness is asking to be taken off in a big game, you have played him too many times.
Also, just a few points of praise:
I thought the whole back 5 was excellent. Jurrien Timber was at his absolute best, but so was Hincapie. The own goal was bad luck, but overall, the way he bossed the left was really impressive. His aggressive behavior and focus is a sight to behold. I’m really starting to value some of his concentration levels and his ability to read dangerous situations.
David Raya. The best keeper on the planet. His all-around game is unmatched in world football. Totally dominant in his box, his distro is outrageous, and his shot-stopping is up there with the best, even though he’s not a freak when it comes to size. That was a match-saving performance from him again.
More broadly, when you’re asking for heroes to step up in a title challenge, it’s rarely defenders answering the call. But right now, who are you betting the house on to be there for the big moments? It’s our defenders.
One hero who wasn’t there again? Martin Odegaard. At training on Friday. Out for the game. Things are not right there. Very disappointing.
Final shout, how about that Cole Palmer NOTHING performance. I think he has 3 open play EPL goals in 14 months. What a bland player. I was honestly worried he’d go off because I am genuinely more worried about the skillset of Garnacho.
Also, just one more point… Man City weren’t very good against Leeds. They could have been 2-0 after 25 minutes. They were cut open time and time again. They don’t have a 10 win streak in them. They’ll drop points. Forest won’t be easy for them, nor will West Ham away.
Ok, big week, Brighton next, see you in the comments. x