It is not wise to linger on the past; what matters is the future. However, Arsenal’s past has a greater impact on their future; we can’t overlook how the Gunners blew two two-goal leads in their last two league games, forcing the games to be drawn. Last week, we identified three errors that cost Arsenal the win against Liverpool; so what three faults cost Arteta and his team the win against West Ham?
1. Failing to take advantage of their full week of rest.
Arsenal had a whole week to prepare for West Ham, who had been struggling and had been in action three days prior. Instead of Arsenal players seeming fresher, West Ham players did. As the game progressed, Saka and his teammates appeared weary. Arsenal should take advantage of the opportunity of being out of action for a whole week, unlike how packed their main rival City’s schedule is; I’m sure if you gave Man City all that time to unwind, they would be unbeatable.
2. Failing to Kill the Game in the Second Half
Arsenal failed to retain their momentum throughout the game, as they did against Liverpool. Prior to the Liverpool game, Arsenal appeared to be stronger in the second half of games against Crystal Palace and Leeds, scoring five goals in the second half of these games. It was natural for Arsenal to start on the front foot against Liverpool, which they did in order to silence the Anfield supporters, but they quickly lost momentum. Against West Ham, the game plan should have been different. Arteta should have encouraged his players to control the game in the first half by playing beautifully, and then come to the second half and kill off the game by using the bench properly.
3. Wrong Subs and Not Making The Substitutes Earlier
Instead of replacing Jesus, Arteta should have replaced Bukayo Saka. Saka wasn’t in the game, especially after missing the penalty. I’m sure Jesus is now fitter to finish a game, and anyone who knows him knows he’s the type of player who can do something fantastic out of nowhere on a good day. Trossard should have replaced Saka; a Jesus-Trossard attack alongside Martinelli could have resulted in something. Arteta should have adjusted things following West Ham’s goal, but just like the Liverpool game, he wasn’t quick enough to make subs, making them late against West Ham.
Hopefully, the Gunners can learn from their blunders and come back stronger in their remaining matchups, which begin on Friday against Southampton.
Darren N
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I think Arteta was reluctant to replace Saka because he doesn’t have another specialist inverted RW on the bench. This is why loaning Marquinhos out is a blunder
We could bring Trossard or Nelson to replace Saka in the second half. But we’d better move Martinelli to the right wing, because he’s pacier than Trossard and Nelson
If I were Arteta, I would’ve replaced Odegaard with Smith-Rowe instead. His crosses from the half-space on the right side of the field could be more effective than the byline or diagonal crosses, against a cagey defense
Well, I agree with the points you’ve raised to a large extent. But does the person who matters in all these, see it the same way?
Just asking,
Is the manager also tired. He seemed so docile on the sidelines. When he is agitated and barking out instructions, the team seams to play better. There is not auotopilot type of coaching in the EPL that can bring success.
Arsens later years bares testimony.
Perhaps he got a telling off for being so vocal
The players cannot hear what the manager is saying – unless they are right next to him. You can’t hear the manager anywhere but right next to him playing at amateur level, never mind with 50,000 people there. The whole prowl area, agitated coach thing is for the telly, nothing more. A managers body language, whether on the touchline or in the stand is what players read.
Well, since the side against west ham made exactly the same mistakes, at virtually exactly the same moment as against Liverpool, I’m not holding my breath. Whether its lack of experience, the same issues as recent years simply resurfacing, nerves or whatever, the team has put in 45 quality minutes over the last 180, and put in 135 shockingly bad ones. Hopefully the manager will wrap his head around the problem, and get the teams mentality back in shape, or a desperate for points saints, led by theo who always turns up against us, will nail the lid down on our title hopes.
I agree with you. Time to be ruthless and drop the underperformers and quickly sub out those struggling.
Vieira offers nothing yet gets chances, and Saka has struggled last 2 matches, yet Martinelli and Jesus get subbed off.
Serious questions about mentality are surfacing again, and who can blame fans after how the team bottled it last 4 games of last season.
I think and believe that the Gunners playing at home against Southampton on Friday night in the Epl. Will recover from the blip that they have suffered. And which saw them took 2 points from the last 6 on offer. But this time around at the Ems, they will play a better game to beat the Saints. And will play it and beat them comprehensively in the match unfailingly.
But if Arteta wasn’t the one who instructed Odegaard to take the ball away from Gabriel Jesus and give it to Saka to take the penalty kick that he missed. Next time, despite he’s being the Gunners captain. Odegaard should endeavour to show respect to his senior team player colleagues.
For, to me, he should not have shown any objection to Gabriel Jesus taking the penalty for Arsenal in the match. But leave him to take the penalty. Instead of Saka who he has shown preference for to take it. But he took it poorly and missed. To thus not killing the game for Arsenal.
But would Gabby have scored if Odegaard had left him to take it? The answer to the question can not be known since he wasn’t allowed to take it.
The bottom line is that Saka should not be totally blamed for his miss. For Odegaard is also culpable in the last Arsenal’s failed penalty miss away to West Ham last Sunday.
It’s always easy to see in retrospect. Saka has been lights out at PKs for us, and I was confident he’d make it. But I do think that when you have a Striker like Gabby, he MUST take every PK we get. So I agree there. Hopefully he does so moving forward.