Arsenal are floundering in the Premier League title race as rivals Liverpool have extended their lead and seemingly have the trophy gripped tightly with one hand.
It comes after a disastrous weekend for the Gunners who fell to defeat against West Ham, while Liverpool managed to beat Manchester City.
Those sets of results extended the lead for the Reds to 11 points, with as many games left to go for them, while Arsenal still hold a solitary game in hand.
It leaves far too much work for Mikel Arteta to do, with a near miracle needed for any chance of winning the Premier League title.
While the analysis of the season is already underway, Martin Keown has pointed out the areas he thinks have been influential in the campaign falling apart.
Martin Keown discusses Arsenal injuries, red cards and creativity problems
Plenty of discussion at Arsenal has centred around the lack of a centre-forward figure who can offer the clinical edge that has been missing.
However, for Arsenal legend Keown, the reality is slightly different and three other issues have played a big part in the campaign so far.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, he was asked if injuries or red cards have been the main issue for the side, responding: “A combination of the two, I don’t think you can pick one above the other.
“I think with the suspension thing, of course, there’s been a lack of discipline in that area but we can go through all five of the sendings-off if we want to drag it all back, all the way back to Rice, Trossard and Saliba.
“I think the one at the weekend was definitely a sending-off [Myles Lewis-Skelly vs West Ham]. I think some of the others you could argue they weren’t.
“In those games, I think Arsenal have only won one match, so you’re losing games you’re getting down to ten men, then you’ve got your suspensions.”
While red cards have accounted for a large part of the season, so too have injuries, with absences stretching the squad especially thing.
On the injuries, Keown continued: “I think it was critical when they lost Odegaard very early in the season, he was out for two months and then you’ve had this catalogue of injuries with the four front players not available.
“At the weekend there wasn’t that explosive pace in the team, it was flat, West Ham played very well but they sat deep and Arsenal didn’t have the answers and didn’t find the solutions in the final third.
“You can say they need a striker but there wasn’t enough goals [scoring] opportunities created even if they did have a striker, so that’s where they’re going to have to pick up.”
It certainly points to three issues that Arsenal have had against them over the season so far, which will need to change.
Arsenal face a creativity issue against certain Premier League teams
There is one type of Premier League club that Arsenal have struggled against the most and it’s those who are willing to sit in a mid-to-low block.
Defeats to Newcastle and West Ham have been a symptom of that, alongside a frustrating draw against Everton.
While some would argue that a clinical striker could take the opportunities presented in those low-chance volume matches, the lack of general creativity is a problem.
Arsenal had 20 shots against West Ham, mustering up an xG of 1.2, the same as West Ham from far fewer chances and one clinically taken counterattack.
While the Gunners have been good at pushing past the teams at the bottom and they have turned up for the matches at the top, it’s those in the middle with a little more quality and that extra touch of clinicality that has cost them.
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