Following a week of Xhaka drama, Unai Emery went against his recent mindset and (allowed) Mesut Ozil a spot in the starting XI. At the end of the day, Ozil put in a solid performance. It wasn’t spectacular by any means, but it was solid. He provided creativity in the final third, and seemed to be the go-to guy when we needed to keep possession. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang provided our one and only goal, and once again our set-piece defense failed to keep the ball out of the back of the net. As they say, the rest is history. a 1-1 draw and a 1 point, and another 2 points dropped.
So, has Arsenal forgotten how to win?
Here are some recent stats…
Arsenal’s last 5 games in all competitions: 1 win, 2 draws, 2 defeats
Arsenal’s last 5 games in the Premier League: 1 win, 3 draws and 1 defeat
If you look at the PL’s cream of the crop, it seems they always find a way to win. Both Man City and Liverpool came from behind to win today, 2-1 and 2-1, respectively.
But, on our side of the coin we either seem to find a way to lose or to draw by blowing leads. Why? Is it the manager’s team selections, substitution choices and tactics, did Emery lose the locker room, or is there no clear direction or path to winning? Right now, I have no real idea. Maybe it’s all of the above. Emery said in his post-match comments that it was a bad result, but good tactics. I’m sure the pundits and writers will have a field day with that comment in the hours and days ahead.
In my opinion, starting Ozil was a step in the right direction, but we need a lot more then that or we will see more points dropped every week. Emery needs to find some answers or we can kiss this season, and any chance of European competition next season, good bye!
Cheers. Gunner1953
This is a guest post from Yankeegooner.net, a fellow Gooner from America….