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Arsenal were clamoring for the structure and stability that Mikel Arteta has brought to the team, but nights like Sunday with a crushing 3-0 loss to Aston Villa underscore why they will need more to be successful in the long run.
Only a week ago the Spaniard was widely praised for facilitating a performance of tactical discipline and measured execution by beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. That victory felt like a historic moment for the Gunners, literally, given that they had not won a league game at United for 14 years, building on last season’s FA Cup success when they beat Manchester City and Chelsea. on the way to an inaugural trophy. under your freshman manager.
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While there was a lot to like about Arsenal’s stamina and conviction in those games, each win required the Gunners to supplement their level of control with a clinical touch in the final third. Against United, Arsenal recorded two shots on goal and scored a penalty. Against City in the semi-final, he had four shots in the entire match and scored twice. Against Chelsea in the final, he had three shots on goal and scored twice.
The Gunners were rightly praised for their efficiency in front of goal, but there is a growing sense that Arsenal’s forwards simply have to be so lethal given the lack of creativity in their overall game, especially when defending so porous. How is it going.
Arteta took no punches in her evaluation. “I don’t feel like we were the team that we’re supposed to be,” the Gunners coach said.
“We perform below our standards, our ability, and I didn’t see the spirit for the first time since I’ve been here that I see every day in training and I see every day when we compete.
“And this is totally my fault because that is why I am here, I am responsible for that, to make sure that the team performs and competes at the highest level every three days. I have not managed to do that today.”
Arteta spends each game talking to his players through almost every passage in the game: when to push, who to mark, who to pass, where to run. Anyone who has seen the calamitous end of the tenures of Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery will appreciate the constant persuasion of a team that shut down so often or allowed poor discipline to creep into their game.
And Arteta could argue that they still caused enough trouble to get anything here, even after surviving John McGinn’s goal in the first minute, ruled out after a lengthy VAR review by referee Martin Atkinson with Ross Barkley ruled offside by prevent Bernd Leno when the Villa midfielder thrashed a shot on goal.
Thomas Partey nearly clung to a backward pass from McGinn to score his first goal for Arsenal, only for goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, marking his return to Emirates Stadium after a £ 20 million summer move to Villa, to rush out of his line cleverly to clear the ball.
Villa’s first goal was sublime in its blend of patience and execution. Barkley and Jack Grealish searched for an opening that was eventually created for Matt Targett to cross to the back post, where Bukayo Saka turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Trezeguet. Alexandre Lacazette then blew a glorious equalizing opportunity when he led from seven yards just before halftime and after the break, Willian landed a shot with his left foot very wide when he was well positioned inside the area.
But from there, Villa took control when Barkley, Grealish and Ollie Watkins exhibited a freedom of expression and interchange of positions that was in stark contrast to the flat Arsenal triumvirate of Lacazette, Willian and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. For the record, Villa had six shots on goal and really should have had more than the three goals they left with. Watkins landed both of his efforts in the second half, the first a wonderfully worked move that involved a raked pass from Douglas Luiz and a sublime volley cross from Barkley, the second a clever finish on the counter after a perfectly timed Grealish pass.
A month ago Arsenal scored a Premier League goal that was not a penalty. That’s partly due to individual form. Willian has been steadily deteriorating since shining in his Fulham debut in August, probably his worst performance in an Arsenal jersey. Lacazette has never been strong in the air, but it is clear that he lacks confidence in the face of goal, as he has not scored in any competition since September 28, while the suspicion remains that his substitute, Eddie Nketiah, is not on the mark. all set for the end of the Premier League. .
However, there are more important problems. Aubameyang continues to look peripheral playing down the left in such a regulated team and while it was a fact under Emery that if the Gabon international was out of shape, so was his team, the same seems alarmingly true under Arteta. Villa is sixth in the table and has a game in hand against those above them, but Arsenal’s choice to effectively play a five at home surely gave them too much respect.
The first signs are that Arteta is not the type of manager to break his plan overnight, but adjustments may be required. Calls for Aubameyang to play in the middle will only grow after this. He has managed just 10 shots on goal in eight league games this season and this game was the first time he has played 90 minutes in a home league game without attempting a single shot.
“That’s a team function and a collective thing that we have to do more,” Arteta said. “We are certainly getting into some situations, but the end product is something we have to improve. About his position, his movement and where we can find him, of course, we can talk about ‘is this the right or wrong place for him.’
“But when things worked and he scored, that debate was not there. The truth is that with these numbers, scoring this amount of goals, it is impossible to be fighting with the best teams so we have to maintain the numbers. defensive in our organization and for sure we have to improve our numbers in attack if we want to challenge there. You want to be consistent winning football matches, for sure. “
Likewise, demand will increase that the club’s £ 72m signing Nicolas Pepe have more time to impact big games than his 25-minute cameo here. Mesut Ozil’s omission will also rumble as an unwanted subplot.
Arteta has made positive strides shaping this team in his own image as he approaches the first anniversary of assuming command. But, so far, the image is far from perfect.
