Dan’s Match Report – Arsenal’s collective effort shines through adversity in win over Leicester

I was disappointed to see our starting XI on Saturday. Ever since Saka’s injury, Mikel Arteta has spoken about finding an internal solution.

I was therefore underwhelmed to witness, at the weekend, us begin with a front three that seemed selected for the sake of having a starting trio. If, for example, you know that Raheem Sterling has proven for months he’s lost his confidence, why play him from the beginning just because he fits into your usual formation? Our manager is the third-highest paid in Europe, and finding goals without arguably your first four preferred options is certainly earning your money. So, I expected a little more than the same system every week with just different personnel.

Yet, if ever your entire squad played a collective part in a victory, it was at the King Power Stadium. Our boss had spoken in Dubai about having an honest chat with his team. The outlook was, instead of focusing on the negative due to so many injuries, to be excited by the challenge. Instead of making excuses for why we can’t catch Liverpool, it became a puzzle that we should embrace solving. You never know with Arsenal what is genuine and what is the latest buzzword. Yet, we played against Leicester, accepting our limitations, and instead of fighting what couldn’t be fixed, various Gunners stepped up to take responsibility and be the person to answer the riddle.

Skelley timed when to step into midfield so Rice could make runs into the box. When our opponents were penned in, Gabriel and Saliba stepped high up, Partey intercepted possession on the edge of the area and carried the ball forward. Odegaard knew when to come deep to demand the ball, Trossard didn’t stay in one position while Nwaneri wasn’t afraid to take a risk. That’s not to say this wasn’t a hard watch. It was another afternoon where we mostly struggled to create chances, with four of our five shots on target coming after our substitutions.

Yet, every sub seemed to make a difference, like it had been tactically planned to wait for the game to stretch. Merino was a template for Havertz, Calafiori carried the ball brilliantly, and Jorginho’s experience was valuable. Given that we were just over ten minutes away from dropping serious points in the title race and had not really worked Hermansen, there was zero panic. It was like there was an acceptance that, without our usual offensive weapons, we might have to wait for matches to open up, making it the perfect time to bring on Merino’s physical presence.

It was the vision the midfielder hadn’t seen himself, bemused when his boss said in the dressing room that could be his role. The temptation is to now start the 28-year-old against West Ham, but he might remain a better option late in a contest when gaps are more likely. You would trust him to have the confidence to be an impact from the dugout more than Sterling?

There will be tougher tests to come. Better sides with the tools to make us pay for our transfer policy in January. As much as I feel sorry for my fellow Gooners over our owners’ lack of ambition, it’s equally not the players’ fault. I’m sure many of them privately wanted some help last month to give them the best possible chance of medals. Yet, in a season where many other coaches have used injuries as an excuse for failure, I was impressed with how we approached adversity.

It wasn’t a pretty watch, but if we are going to catch the league leaders, this is how it has to be: a team effort.