Arsenal were fortunate to scrape a 1-0 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk in Tuesday night’s Champions League encounter.
Mikel Arteta’s side benefitted from a first half own goal and then surrendered control of the match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the second half of the game.
Arsenal enjoyed plenty of possession and territory in the first half, but did not carve out a huge number of clear cut opportunities. A similar situation arose against Bournemouth last time out in the Premier League, when the Gunners suffered their first defeat of the season.
Arsenal lacked creativity against Bournemouth, largely due to the fact that Arteta named such a conservative trio of Mikel Merino, Thomas Partey, and Declan Rice in his starting XI. Rice and Partey started against Shakhtar Donetsk, with Merino joining them on the pitch at half time.
Meanwhile, Ethan Nwaneri was brought on late against the Cherries, much to the ire of Arsenal fans, and did not feature at all on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta caution is holding Arsenal back
With Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka injured, the Gunners are missing their two most reliable creative outlets. Nwaneri is one of the few options available to Arteta who can help to address the current lack of craft and guile in his team.
What’s more, the 17-year-old Hale End academy ace has proven himself capable of flourishing at first team level, yet the manager still seems reticent to trust the youngster.
It takes courage, and a willingness to take risks, to win big games and become champions. The Gunners will be aiming for glory in both the Premier League and Champions League this season, and have good reason to believe that they can achieve success in these competitions.
However, the North London outfit will only achieve these targets if Arteta is bold enough to unshackle his players and allow his team to play on the front foot.
How Arteta can give Arsenal a spark
Arteta was accused of employing “dinosaur” tactics earlier this season against Manchester City, after his side adopted an ultra-defensive approach having been reduced to ten men.
Arsenal also failed to protect a lead when a man down against Brighton, and lost against Bournemouth following William Saliba’s dismissal. These results reveal that Arteta’s conservative approach in adversity is not paying off.
Arsenal are dropping points in games that they aren’t going all out to win. This is unsustainable. Arteta needs to be bolder and show faith in his players to outplay their opponents. If he doesn’t then his side will fall short of their title-winning ambitions.
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