Is it even accurate to say that was a surprise? Arsenal, riding on a minuscule wave of positivity and momentum after two consecutive wins, decided once again to make their goal of cracking the top 4 by season’s end that much more difficult. The Gunners dominated the ball for the entire match, but Swansea made them pay whenever they lost it, including 2 goals that were the direct results of Arsenal being careless in possession. Arsenal failed to make up ground on their top 6 rivals, and sit 8 points out of the final Champions League place, in 6th. With just 2 days until the January transfer window closes, some fans have gone from quiet optimism over recent player rumours and team performances to clamouring madly for defensive reinforcements to save the season from a potential demise.
A Recipe For Disaster
Some fans might be in shock over the Gunners again losing to a side well below them in the table, but Swansea simply followed a formula that has given Arsenal fits this season, particularly away from the Emirates. Swansea congested the area in front of their penalty area, sometimes playing all 11 men behind the ball and always with a back line of 5. The Swans sat deep in their shape, forcing Arsenal to use their fullbacks for width to try and stretch the lines and create some space for the attackers. This played right into the hosts’ hands, as they set up to counter attack a badly exposed centre back pairing of Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny. With Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin sucked so far up the pitch to try and break through the lines, Swansea predictably had more than enough opportunities to score when breaking back the other way.
Arsenal seem loathe to generate much positive momentum this season, seeming to make progress only to slip up against an opponent they should beat. Weekday nights on the road have been especially tough for Wenger’s men, and the Frenchman was clearly livid with the defensive performance in particular as the Gunners failed to connect on their passes with their usual sharpness. With the defence playing so deep, Alexandre Lacazette has no room to get in behind with space, and has been quite obviously frustrated with the development. Arsenal still have not proven that they can beat a team that packs into a low block in defence and uses the counter attack to catch the Gunners out, and until they do, they can expect to see a lot more of the same strategy from their mid to low table opponents.
Mistakes: The New Normal?
Mistakes happen. They are as much a part of life as breathing, and every person that ever lived has made them. However, a person can and should also take those mistakes and use them as a learning experience, so that in the future the same mistakes won’t be made again. For whatever reason, this simply has not happened at Arsenal this season. Every time the Gunners drop points, one can almost guarantee that an avoidable mistake had something to do with it. On Tuesday against Swansea, there were 3: Xhaka and Koscielny deciding not to pick up Sam Clucas as he ran unmarked into the box to receive a pass and score, an absolutely farcical blunder between Shkodran Mustafi and Petr Cech that was so bad, Swansea fans could barely muster a cheer for the goal that gave them the lead, and the final goal, which saw yet another sloppy turnover by Nacho Monreal in buildup effectively end the Gunners’ comeback bid.
There may be an awesome new Virtual Reality room at London Colney, where players can re-live moments from previous matches and correct their mistakes, but it doesn’t seem as if it has helped. Players all over the pitch continue to make the same sort of mistakes over and over again. Hector Bellerin and Granit Xhaka might get singled out more than many, but they are far from the only culprits (or even the worst, by some estimations). Fans have been losing patience with Wenger for years now, and the repetition of simple, avoidable mistakes gives strength to their protests over his future. Arsenal have been known over the years to pull together to salvage a respectable place in the table after a rough patch, but confidence in their ability to do so this year, even if their January plans all come together, might just be at an all-time low.
A Less Than Ideal Debut…
Over the weekend as other clubs were playing their FA Cup matches, Gooners everywhere were buzzing about the prospect of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s debut for Arsenal on Tuesday against Swansea. He didn’t get to start over the incumbent Alex Iwobi, but he did finally make his debut in the match when he subbed on for Mohammed Elneny in the 60th minute. It soured quickly for the Armenian, as he arrived just in time to see Jordan Ayew take the lead for the Swans on Petr Cech’s whiffed clearance just a minute later. Mkhitaryan was kept mostly away from dangerous areas by Swansea’s organised defence, but he did exhibit on a couple of occasions the sort of improvisational quality he possesses. He has remarkably quick feet and a deft touch, both of which he exhibited on a cheeky dribble on the left flank that almost saw him squirt through with a chance to play a dangerous pass into the Swansea area. He is still learning the way Arsenal play, and his first action for the club will hardly go down in history, but there were enough signs to encourage fans that could become a larger part of the attack. After his first half hour on the pitch as a Gunner, and another inconsistent performance from Alex Iwobi, many fans are already clamouring to see him in the starting XI.
…And An Even Worse Farewell?
Sometimes, though admittedly it is rare, the time comes for a player to leave a club, even if he is still loved by his manager, adored by at least a healthy percentage of fans, and still producing at a level high enough to contribute. It appears that time has come for Olivier Giroud, who is all but certain to join Chelsea before the end of the transfer window. The big man has been the perfect “plan B” for the Gunners through the years and has always been a threat in the air, but never quite as consistent as a starting, front line forward should be. As a starter, he has been very poor for the Gunners the last two seasons, but he has been perhaps the best player in the league at scoring late goals to rescue points. Arsenal are not typically considered a crossing team, but it became a ruthlessly effective strategy when chasing games to throw the towering Frenchman out there and pepper crosses into the box.
Unfortunately for Giroud, he is angling for a key role in the French squad at this summer’s World Cup, and with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang likely to sign before the end of the month, that will mean Arsenal have spent over £100 million this season on strikers to play ahead of him. Arsenal will miss his aerial presence, but Aubameyang is considered on of the best goal scorers in the world, and he manages to accomplish this without being as limited as the relatively immobile Giroud. Chelsea will be getting a player that Antonio Conte will know how to utilise, and it would not be surprising to see him excel for the rest of the season. Whether or not the fans agree with the move, Arsenal have clearly decided to reward Giroud’s faithful service to the club with a move to another quality situation, and he will be missed by so many people, both inside and outside of the club.
Passed It Petr
When Arsenal signed Petr Cech from Chelsea in the summer of 2015, it was largely seen as a shrewd signing, with very low potential for risk. Cech was certainly a soothing presence in his first season at the back, but his play has been in steady decline ever since. As a young goalkeeper, Cech had lightning fast reflexes, and he might have been the best in the world at getting to low shots, especially for such a tall man. He has always been diligent with his angles and positioning, and despite never having the greatest distribution abilities, he has used his intelligence to make up for it. As he aged, his elite reflexes declined slightly, but he was still an exceedingly competent shot stopper.
The last two seasons have seen not only the predictable further decline of his physical abilities, but more worryingly, his decision making as well. David Ospina might have the reputation as a keeper more likely to make a big mistake, but this season has seen Cech take that distinction from the Colombian. Cech was never the most aggressive in attacking crosses and balls in behind, but he now almost appears to cower in his goal, taking up a position and hoping that his defence wins the header. Even simple possession retention has been more of a struggle this year at the back, with Cech and his defenders almost taking turns making each other’s lives more difficult with poorly placed or ill-conceived passes. His reputation as perhaps the best ever shot stopper in the history of the Premier League is safe, but should he continue to make costly mistakes at the back that lead to opponents’ goals, perhaps his place in the team should no longer be.
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