Opinion: Massive Three Points For Arsenal As Performance Raises Questions
Well lovely Arsenal people, football is back. Let us set the expectations straight. Winning the league title or the Champions League is the only thing I would consider success this season. Everything else would be a failure. I do not want to hear excuses come May. We have spent big, signed a striker, opted not […] The post Opinion: Massive Three Points For Arsenal As Performance Raises Questions appeared first on Just Arsenal News.
RR aka Rishi-Raj
Well lovely Arsenal people, football is back. Let us set the expectations straight. Winning the league title or the Champions League is the only thing I would consider success this season. Everything else would be a failure. I do not want to hear excuses come May. We have spent big, signed a striker, opted not to buy a creative midfielder, and spent questionable money on Noni Madueke. It has to work, period.
With those standards in mind, we stole three points at Old Trafford. To put it into perspective, Arsenal have only ever won six games there in the Premier League era, all with the same 1-0 scoreline. It has never been a happy place for us, so the result was excellent. That is the perspective part done. The performance, however, was far from it.
Raya The Standout, But Midfield Struggled
David Raya’s saves made him Player of the Match by some distance, but even he had faults, with his distribution often poor. There was no rhythm to Arsenal’s game at any stage. Once again, set pieces came to the rescue. William Saliba distracted the keeper, he fluffed his lines, and Riccardo Calafiori pounced to score the winner.
Beyond that, positives were hard to find. The midfield was overrun, if not bypassed entirely. One ball over the top to Bryan Mbeumo caused problems all match. Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes dominated against Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard. Questions have to be asked, particularly of Rice, who was non-existent. Zubimendi made a few tackles and Ødegaard looked the best of a poor bunch, but overall the lack of creativity was concerning.
Attacking Woes Continue
Up front Viktor Gyökeres endured a nightmare debut. There were a few good runs, but on the one occasion he received the ball in a promising area, his cross was wildly overhit. His non-existent pre-season at Sporting has left him out of form, and while taking Thierry Henry’s number is symbolic, it must be matched with performances on the pitch.
Service to him was limited, but Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were both below par. Madueke replaced Martinelli in the second half and was equally poor in attack, while even worse defensively. The ease with which Amad Diallo went past him was alarming. Choosing Madueke over Leandro Trossard, a proven option off the bench, suggests the club may be looking to move Trossard on. A new left winger would be welcome, but without sales it seems unlikely.
This season, nobody should get a free pass, whether it is the manager, new signings or senior players. It is year six of the process and it is trophies or bust. If there is one positive, substitutions came earlier than usual, with all five made before the 70th minute. Last year, overuse of players led to injuries. Seeing Jurrien Timber and Ben White rotate was encouraging. There are now options in midfield, up front, and across the squad. It is time to deliver.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Konstantin Mitov
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