Arsenal continue to top the Premier League but Micah Richards has admitted he finds the league leaders a bit of an odd watch at the moment.
Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea restored their five point lead at the summit but it was yet another performance where attacking quality was lacking at crucial times.
The Gunners once again needed two corners to score from. And speaking on how he feels watching Arsenal right now, Micah Richards has conceded they are ‘strange’.
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Micah Richards admits he’s a touch baffled by Arsenal after they beat Chelsea
There does seem to be a narrative developing about this Arsenal team and how they are going about their business.
Yes, they’re getting wins but the pressure is building and these tight games don’t help. Indeed, according to Richards, the Gunners are missing something.
“Arsenal, it’s strange watching them because they’re top of the league, defensively they know exactly what they’re doing, robust in midfield, up-front, they’re not free flowing,” Richards commented for the Rest Is Football.
Questioned by Gary Lineker if he feels it’s a lack of creativity, Richards suggested it’s more a team cohesion issue.
“They’re just lacking something a little bit,” Richards continued. “Saka does all the right things, his touch is good, he makes the right decisions, he plays the right passes. But there does seem to be a lack of chemistry up front when needed.”
What Micah Richards said about Arsenal’s reliance on set-pieces
Of course, one of the big topics of discussion from the weekend was Arsenal once again needing two set-pieces to get over the line.
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However, according to Richards, the Gunners are going to have to find another way eventually or they risk being caught out.
“They’ve become so reliant on set-pieces and I remember you posed a question a couple of weeks ago, it might be a couple of months ago now. Can they carry on? And at this rate, yes they can, because they’re still doing it,” Richards added.
“No one knows how to stop them, but in a game where somebody’s really good at marking them and organised on set pieces, they’ve got to find another way to win against a top team.”
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