Arsenal vs Hull City – Analysis and looking ahead to the future by SE
Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any worse for Arsenal, who have been severely hit by injuries to the fulcrum of their team and made a totally unacceptable start to their season, Wenger’s wizards failed to harness home advantage and pick up 3 points against a resurgent Hull City. It’s been over two months since Ramsey conjured up a home win in the Premier League for Arsenal against Crystal Palace, on the opening weekend of the season. Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City have since visited the Emirates, and succeeded in pocketing an indispensable away point. As things stand, 11 points from 8 games surely is an abominable start to Arsenal’s season, but can they make a comeback from this position?
Arsenal vs Hull City – Review
Arsenal lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, which had Chamberlain, Welbeck and Sanchez playing as the front three. Watching Sanchez play on the Right-Hand-Side was reminiscent of his Barcelona days, when the Chilean remained unmoved from his position and was always a goal getter for the Catalans. His 13th minute strike gave Arsenal the lead, which is exactly what they would have wanted, having played catch up in each of their three previous fixtures at the Emirates. Hull City, understandably, didn’t have much of the ball, and were always playing on the counter. Diame’s equalizer was a contentious one, but it counted nonetheless.
With both teams going into the break at 1-1, the onus was on Arsenal to start off brightly in the second half and find that crucial 2nd goal. However, it was Bruce’s side that went into the lead seconds from kick off, as Hernandez made the most of a delicious cross from Huddlestone. Score line read 1-2, and Arsenal were up against it, once again. While the probing did continue, Hull need to be given due credit for the way they defended; the Tigers made 49 clearances from their own half, 35 of which were from inside the 18-yard box. It’s a stat that should be recognized appropriately from both sides’ perspective. Arsenal, for their part, had 25 attempts on goal and managed to hit the target 9 times, which by no means is a poor number. Sanchez’s industry, and tenacity, had to pay dividends at some point and it certainly did in the 2nd minute of stoppage time, as the Chilean danced past a couple of on-rushing Hull defenders, and found Welbeck who nonchalantly put it away, to share the spoils between the two sides.
Looking ahead
Our performance against Hull City wasn’t the worst, as is perceived, and the visitors (as the stats suggest) also should be credited for what they managed to do to Arsenal. Sanchez was electric, but the Gunners couldn’t find another inspirational figure in their starting XI on Saturday. Cazorla and Chamberlain were below par, and on far too many occasions, Arsenal were overly dependent on Sanchez and Wilshere to bail them out of a hole. Going forward, it’s going to be one of their problems – the lack of a leader who can come up with the conjuring act when his side needs it the most. Injury crisis won’t make things any easier for the North Londoners either, but Wenger has to instill character and belief within the group, if Arsenal are to finish in the top four come the end of the season. It’s certainly a huge hurdle for Arsenal to overcome, but one good performance could well kick start a turnaround.
SE