Lacklustre defensive problems cost Arsenal again by Konstantin Mitov
Hello lovely Arsenal people! It’s not like I did not expect to lose at City (the sad reality that Arsenal have succumbed to), but it’s the way we did it, that was the real disappointment. We conceded in minute one! With the first attack.
All season our defense has been a problem. We don’t have a single clean sheet away from home in the league, yet we try to pass it out from the back and trick Man City players storming us with the best pressing game in the land. It feels like typical Arsenal. Worst, it felt like nothing has changed.
When you consider the amount of chances we concede, it’s questionable why didn’t we go out for a defender? Did we really need Denis Suarez more than a proper right back to replace Bellerin? Lichtsteiner vs Sterling is just asking for trouble. One of the major reasons I wanted Wenger gone is because he ignored the defensive problems for years. About 10 to be precise.
Yet, here we have Unai Emery, who at least acknowledges the fact that we need to improve, yet I don’t see it. I don’t even see players being upset about defensive problems. Funnily enough, when it comes to being a problem at the other end our defenders managed to score. Then we immediately saw Bouldy because of the old near post corners flick onto the middle, but did we see his face when we were comically defending all the time?
What is his purpose, apart from sitting Wenger-like all game with his hands in his pockets? But back to the head coach. It is time pressure starts mounting on him, because I can’t understand which team hasn’t beaten us yet, so we realise we cannot keep defending like that?
I will not buy the “This is Man City we were playing” excuse, because we conceded 3 at Southampton. We lost to West Ham, and haven’t won away in a very long time. This is not a coincidence and this strengthens the point, that we were riding our luck earlier this season. The problem is, we refused to acknowledge it and we didn’t improve, and now when the luck is gone, reality has hit us like a truck.
We haven’t really improved. It feels like all the changes we’ve made essentially were cutting the budget and the managers salary in half. This will not cut it. Our performances away are the ones of a team who doesn’t believe it can win. It thinks is should be possible, but not sure how to do it. Unfortunately it all comes from the top. Until we have people who are here to actually help us win trophies, rather than fill their pockets, nothing will happen.
We should’ve hired a manager with a different style of football. One who would come here to fix the existing problems, rather than just continue to talk about philosophies and styles of play. A more defensive coach. One that will make those players angry when they defend like children. One who would make us kick opponents hard if we have to, just to disrupt they game play. One who would not always try to outplay the opposition, but use our strengths. Someone like Simeone or Allegri.
Instead, we went cheap. And now we’re paying the price. And I mean by we, us the fans. Because the board doesn’t care. They don’t care if it’s Wenger or Emery. As long as we are in profit, that’s all good. We might be 10th and it’s still ok. This mentality is only ever gonna change when Kroenke is forced out. If it’s even possible.
Konstantin