Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response
Typically it’s not straightforward to know the place to start out after a recreation like final evening’s, however this morning it’s fairly easy.
Aaron Ramsdale’s mistake within the first minute gifted Southampton a aim. I don’t know for positive whether or not or not he ought to have saved the shot, however I do know he undoubtedly shouldn’t have given the ball away. He tried the tough move to Zinchenko when he had centre-halves in house both facet of him, and obtained punished to the utmost. Rob Holding ought to be telling him his keeper he desires the ball, not pointing to probably the most tough choice.
After the final two video games, we wanted a assured begin, as a substitute we shot ourselves within the foot. I assumed we confirmed a little bit of response with a driving run from Gabriel Martinelli rousing the group, however within the 14th minute Southampton scored once more. We had been careless in midfield, there was an excessive amount of house for them to run into, and Theo Walcott did a factor that he did for us numerous occasions in his profession. His run off the again of Gabriel was wonderful, the end medical.
0-2 down in 14 minutes. This isn’t what title chasing sides ought to do. I imply, it’s not what any facet ought to do, however within the context of the previous few weeks this felt significantly unhealthy. Then we clicked. Martin Odegaard fed Saka down the fitting, he blistered past his full again, pulled it again and Martinelli was there to volley residence first time. A very pretty aim. A superb time to attain.
Nevertheless it was Southampton who threatened once more. Ramsdale needed to make a double save. There was a stoppage for an harm, and in direction of the top of the primary half we got here shut. First Gabriel headed over, earlier than a Ben White header from a nook was cleared off the road, and I’ve to say I believe it’s top-of-the-line clearances of that sort I can bear in mind. The way in which the defender obtained throughout because the ball was drifting in direction of the highest nook was each tremendously annoying and admirable.
At half-time Southampton took off their finest participant and placed on one other defender to go to 5 on the again. It’s a little bit of a danger to do it on the break, somewhat than late on, however it labored for them. Regardless of dominance of possession and territory, we didn’t have a single shot till the 69th minute. The stark actuality of that’s that they went 3-1 up within the 66th. From a nook we shouldn’t have conceded however did when Partey was sloppy in possession, Holding allowed his man to get goal-side too simply. He then flicked the ball to the again publish, the place the defending from Zinchenko and Saka was static, permitting the Southampton man to thump a header residence and prolong the lead. Ugh. It’s so primary, it hurts.
The prospect we had instantly afterwards must have been a aim. Martinelli, who made 6 key passes in addition to his aim, put one on a plate for Gabriel Jesus however the end was poor as he blasted it over the bar. By that point we had introduced on Leandro Trossard for Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese was the person given the nod within the absence of the unwell Granit Xhaka, however it’s truthful to say this recreation handed him by. If Xhaka is lacking once more, Arteta has to take a look at one thing else. Whether or not it’s Trossard because the 8, and even Zinchenko in midfield with Tierney at left-back, Vieira has demonstrated he isn’t prepared but. Definitely not at this level of the season.
We huffed and puffed however it felt just like the cost had gone out of our batteries. If the stadium sounded quiet, who may blame the followers there? It was not imagined to be like this. Deflating. The wind had gone out of our sails. Eddie got here on for Zinchenko, and with 5 minutes of regular time remaining Reiss Nelson changed Martinelli, which simply added to my worries about Emile Smith Rowe who was, no less than, warming up this time.
Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Jesus utterly missed a header. Someway, he ended up with six pictures to his title, however it’s not an evening he’ll bear in mind fondly. Half-hearted shouts for a penalty on Saka, however it wasn’t, and with two minutes of regular time remaining it seemed executed and dusted. Nevertheless, Odegaard performed a 1-2 with Ben White and fizzed a shot into the underside nook. 2-3.
HELLO SAILS, IT’S ME AGAIN, MR WIND!
It’s mainly inconceivable to clarify why we performed the best way we did for such lengthy durations of this recreation, after which additionally clarify how we did what we did within the final 10 minutes – together with 8 minutes of harm time. I’ve talked a bit just lately about how loopy and random soccer might be, how a second can utterly change the momentum. The Southampton followers who had been OLEing and doing the Poznan (I imply, I’m all for the bantz however stick that shit up your arses), had been swiftly chewing their fingernails.
Moments later we fed the ball into their field, it got here again for Nelson whose shot was saved however Saka was there to slam it residence and make it 3-3. And there was a whole lot of time left to capitalise on this momentum. It virtually occurred. Trossard hit the bar with a shot that will have dipped below if he’d been a few yards additional out; Nelson noticed an effort deflected simply vast, doing a dance of frustration after it whizzed previous the publish; there have been a few scrambles the place only a toe or a contact or scrappy poke would have seen it go residence, however it didn’t. Jesus went down, obtained up once more, on the spot resurrections, none of those falls had been undoubtedly a penalty however generally within the mayhem a ref can get caught up, however it wouldn’t go in.
It didn’t go in.
And ultimately, as the ultimate whistle blew, I felt this bizarre sensation of each exhilaration and crushing disappointment. How may you not get swept away that closing interval of the sport? However you knew as quickly because it was over that these had been two extra factors dropped, and the implications for the title problem had been appreciable.
I believe that duality was evident within the supervisor post-game the place he – as he has tried to do all through this season – accentuated the positives and advised his gamers he liked them, however was straight up in regards to the points:
Giving the ball away and conceding one other aim from one move, however you’ll be able to’t concede three objectives on this league. If you concede three objectives in the best way we did, a extremely sloppy means, it’s extraordinarily tough to win matches.
It’s clear that defensively now we have to do issues higher, and to not concede three objectives the best way now we have.
We’re conceding too many objectives, it’s so simple as that. Sure, we miss William Saliba, however he’s not a one-man band. The collective effort needs to be higher to make up for his absence, and particular person errors are hurting us. You possibly can see efforts made to offset a few of what we miss in possession with the Frenchman in the best way Thomas Partey dropped deep, virtually as auxiliary centre-half, however on an evening when the opposite facet of your central midfield is light-weight as a result of absence of Xhaka, you want him to be mainly flawless and he removed from that.
Quite a bit has been stated about what Zinchenko and Jesus have introduced this season, and that’s completely proper, however I believe each had been under their finest final evening. Hopefully they’ll make up for it on Wednesday. We simply had just a few too many gamers who didn’t give us what we all know they’ll, and while you couple that with primary errors towards a staff scrapping for Premier League survival, you get punished.
That stated, I believe now we have to offer credit score to our two 21 12 months previous wingers who proceed to ship whatever the circumstances. They had been the leaders final evening, together with Odegaard who sparked into life and virtually lit the fireplace below one other unimaginable comeback, however as Arteta says, you’ll be able to’t concede three objectives at residence and hope to win video games on this league. Even you probably have that form of high quality on the flanks.
With Metropolis developing on Wednesday, this high-stakes recreation has develop into much more so. We knew we needed to get one thing from this one, after dropping extra factors we virtually undoubtedly must win it. It’s a tall-order contemplating our document towards them and … properly, contemplating them on their very own, they usually’re the worst attainable staff to face while you’re experiencing defensive wobbles. I’ve to have a sliver of hope that one thing mad can occur, however my intestine tells me one thing else, and I’m positive that’s a sense shared with lots of you this morning.
We at all times knew there have been going to be bumps within the highway as we fought for our first title in 19 years, however these bumps can go away you feeling nauseous and car-sick. Which kind of sums up the place I’m this morning.
Until tomorrow.
