Oh 2017, you were certainly not boring. You arrived during a tough period in the previous season, and you shall leave our beloved club much as you found it: bouncing around the latter half of the top 7 teams. Arsenal got to close the tab on their calendar year on Sunday with a visit to Alan Pardew and West Brom. As with most matches in recent weeks, the Gunners were far from their best, and seemed like they would be fortunate to take the win after a fortuitous deflection saw an Alexis Sanchez free kick give the Gunners a 1-0 lead with just minutes left to play. However, luck was not on their side, and through the actions of 1 man (more on him in a tick), the match ended in a 1-1 draw, to the bitter disappointment of players and fans alike.
Mike Dean
There is no sense in burying the lead today; Mike Dean once again has robbed Arsenal of points. This one really snuck up on fans. Dean lulled the Gunner support into a false sense of security, only making small errors (well below his usual, disgraceful standard) for 90 minutes, but of course, in the last match of 2017, Dean had to leave his mark. Former Arsenal man Kieran Gibbs stepped just inside the area from the left flank and fired a cross into the chest of Calum Chambers, whose arm deflected the ball from in front of his body. Gibbs, perhaps forgetting in the months away from the club how the ‘incompetent one’ likes to operate, called for a corner. But of course, Dean would hear none of it, pointing to the spot instead and effectively taking the victory away from Arsenal just before the end of the match.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. How many times must the FA schedule Mike Dean to ref Arsenal matches before they realise it is not something he is capable of? The League, PGMO, the mainstream football press and the pundits all become more and more complicit in the degradation of the game the longer they fail to acknowledge that a serious problem exists with the quality of officiating in England. It needs to change immediately, the game is hurt when matches are decided by people like Mike Dean, not the players them selves. What an utter disgrace.
No Mesut, No Magic
It probably should have come as no surprise, with the matches flying thick and fast for the next few weeks and a tough matchup against a big, physical opponent, but Mesut Ozil did not make the trip with his teammates to face Alan Pardew’s West Brom. According to Arsene Wenger, the playmaker is suffering from a knee problem, but with little indication that it happened in the previous match, It could be mostly precautionary. With most of the talk surrounding Alexis Sanchez leaving this January, several fans were stunned and had their suspicions aroused by his exclusion from the match day squad until Wenger clarified the situation.
Against some of the more physical opponents on the schedule, leaving Ozil out of the side is survivable with contributions from other players, but on Sunday his presence was sorely missed. The Gunners lacked creativity in the final third, frequently failing to unlock a tightly packed West Brom defence. There will be hopes and prayers on the part of fans that Ozil makes it back for the next match against Chelsea, who continue to hum along in third place. A win against the Blues would do wonders to lift the spirits around the team in the new year.
Succumbing To The Block
It seems to be around this time every season when pragmatism starts to rule the thinking of Premier League managers, and this year is no different. Arsenal have been facing some version of a low block for most of the month of December, their attacks met with 8, 9, 10 or even all 11 opponents packed tightly between the ball and the goal. It happened last season when Santi Cazorla’s injury robbed the Gunners of his between-the-lines creative play that helped slice through congested areas, and it is happening now with many of the same problems as before.
Turnovers have been an issue for Wenger’s men in their own end, but for the most part, the players have little trouble getting the ball into the opponents half. However, once they get there, the attacks are stalling. Opponents are setting up their lines just inside the penalty area with another just in front of the box, daring the Gunners to try and work their passing combinations through the spaces left over. Without any real vertical threat to respect, every player on the pitch knows to look for the ball along the turf or dinked through the lines, making the defenders’ jobs easier. What is more, Arsenal players have done a very poor job this season of adhering to the ‘move’ side of their manager’s ‘pass and move’ philosophy in the attacking third, instead showing little inclination to either show for the ball or battle for space in the box. Something needs to be done fast on the training pitch to improve their efforts, otherwise the Gunners can expect teams to do the same to them until they have proven capable of playing through it.
Earning His Place?
Forget the bad call that went against him on Sunday, Calum Chambers has done a good job deputising for the injured Nacho Monreal these last two matches. With the defence struggling mightily at times this season, some fans have been clamouring for the two young English international defenders, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers to see more time. In truth, Holding has been the more talked about player since arriving last season, but Chambers performed extremely well on loan last season at Middlesbrough in a stingy defence, and has looked solid in the limited action he has had. He is much more of the traditional central defender that Monreal, who is quick but lacks the size to compete in the air with larger strikers. His new contract, just signed this season, should give a good indication about how the club feels about him as a player. He is young, extremely calm on the ball, and growing into a frame that is very capable of handling the challenges of the Premier League. Perhaps he has done enough to impress Wenger and convince the Frenchman that he should be getting a look in more matches, even after Monreal returns from injury.
Time To Say Goodbye? Good Riddance?
Any story about a player whose future is undecided should be taken with a grain of salt around the transfer window, but it seemed quite plain to many on Thursday against Crystal Palace that a rift exists between Alexis Sanchez and his teammates. The Chilean dynamo scored twice in that match, and added another (ruled an own goal, but it was the result of a powerful free kick off of Sanchez’ boot) on Sunday, leaving many fans to speculate on whether or not his uptick in form coincides with his ability to leave the club this month. Given comments from club legend Thierry Henry and others in the media about the disconnect between Sanchez and others, it is clear the writing is presumably on the wall for the forward’s Arsenal career. His teammates all celebrated with him this time after the go ahead goal on Sunday, but could both parties actually benefit from his departure? The club could certainly use a break from the distractions that the contract situations of Ozil and Sanchez have created, but is it perhaps also time to look for younger, more complimentary pieces to add to the squad? Either way, the hope is that this January transfer period brings clarity and a sense of direction to a team that could do with a healthy bit of both.
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