Arsenal’s winless run was extended on match day four of the Champions League, losing to Inter Milan.
Mikel Arteta’s side have just two wins from their previous five fixtures in all competitions, representing a worrying run of form.
The Gunners suffered defeat against Newcastle United in the Premier League and looked to put things right against Inter Milan in the Champions League, however, another 1-0 loss played out.
Arsenal will feel hard done by with Inter’s winning goal, a penalty conceded against Mikel Merino who was none the wiser when the ball hit his hand in the box.
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Thierry Henry correct about Inter Milan vs Arsenal call
Arteta thought Arsenal should have had a penalty too, with Merino involved in the earlier incident as the midfielder was clattered by Yann Sommer.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, only one spot kick was awarded in the game, leading to Hakan Calhanoglu winning the contest for the hosts.
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Arsenal were aware of the challenge that awaited them at the San Siro and were certainly tested as expected by Inter.
Prior to kick-off, Thierry Henry made a prediction that proved to be true by the end of the night, something that sparked debate between the club icon and Micah Richards.
Henry predicted that Inter believed they could beat Arsenal with the heavily rotated side Simone Inzaghi fielded, which was correct.
“They’re doing it against Arsenal which tells you what they think of Arsenal, that they can beat Arsenal,” Henry said on CBS Sports.
“Disrespectful that a little bit, no?” Richards said, challenging the Frenchman.
“No, no, I don’t think it’s disrespectful. I seriously think he just wants to rotate because he has been doing it since the beginning of the season.”
Richards then asked Henry if Inter would have rotated as much if they were playing an opponent such as Real Madrid, to which the Arsenal icon said, “No, they wouldn’t.”
The former Manchester City defender viewed Inter’s rotation as a sign of disrespect to Arteta’s side, “Exactly. So. I say that’s disrespectful to the Gunners.”
It was an interesting debate between the two pundits however, the fact remained that Inzaghi got the better of the North Londoners regardless.
Same tactical issues for Arsenal
Despite the fact that the Gunners have overcome some vast challenges so far this season, it’s easy to see that there’s a lot missing from the current set up.
Whether it be a change in personnel or a different approach that’s required, Arteta has to respond to his side’s dreary form with a fresh game plan.
The manager hasn’t looked to alter how his team play, despite being frequently reminded of things that are not working, translating to a run of unacceptable form.
Losing against a quality, yet heavily rotated Inter side, had to be a wakeup call for Arsenal, who won’t be able to challenge for the biggest prizes if adaptation is not welcomed.
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