Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video
Mikel Arteta described yesterday’s recreation as Arsenal’s worst efficiency of the season, and even when I wasn’t too hungover to argue with him, I wouldn’t argue with him. It might be a idiot’s errand.
Regardless of the intense begin and the early purpose from Bukayo Saka after Gabriel Martinelli’s shot was saved, it was dismal stuff from Arsenal. Individually, collectively, simply not ok. If I wish to see males utilizing their sport ball very, very slowly, I’ll go and change into a fan of garden bowls.
Contact. Contact. Contact. Sluggish cross. Contact. Contact. Contact. Sluggish cross. See a chance for a fast cross, ignore it. Contact. Contact. Contact. Sluggish cross. Sluggish cross. See a chance for a fast cross, ignore it. Contact. Contact. Contact. Sluggish cross.
Argh. It’s like some type of malaise.
“Physician, please assist – I’ve acquired gradual balls.”
I’ve bemoaned Oleksandr Zinchenko’s propensity to do that within the final couple of video games, however it’s not simply him. Gamers like Declan Rice and William Saliba have been at it yesterday, and the way in which it impacts the sport is that it lets a workforce like Fulham get organised too simply, and a lot in order that the Shirley Bassey lad was doing pirouettes at will. You may’t let that occur.
To be truthful, I believe Fulham performed fairly nicely whereas we have been nicely beneath par. Bernd Leno was principally a spectator. Their equaliser got here from a pleasant transfer which we have been about 3% off by way of defending however that’s all it takes. The purpose that turned out to be the winner was a contact lucky by way of the way it broke to them within the field after a nook, however did we defend it in addition to we might have? I don’t assume so.
The supervisor made adjustments, however this was the equal of coming dwelling to see your home on fireplace after which pouring a load of petrol on it. The shift to the again three made us much more ineffective. Every part was too slim. With out full-backs we couldn’t get the ball out broad and it was simple for Fulham to defend. As soon as they marked the broad gamers and blocked off these routes, there was nothing to our recreation. We have been like the large crap wolves huffing and puffing and never capable of blow something down as a result of we had footballing emphysema.
When Gabriel Jesus comes on and his finest contribution is defending valiantly within the right-back place, one thing has gone very mistaken. Very similar to the West Ham recreation, you felt like we might have been on the market till midnight and never scored. The timing of our defensive and offensive kind going off a cliff is much from best, and to lose two in a row over the busy festive schedule feels fairly damaging.
Afterwards, a reasonably crestfallen Mikel Arteta stated:
Painful, that’s how I’d sum it up. We had the chance to be high of the desk after 20 video games with the consistency that we’ve proven, and we haven’t managed to carry out nicely sufficient to earn the fitting to win the sport. Three days in the past we misplaced a recreation that we absolutely deserved to win, however right this moment was a really completely different story.
We weren’t ok, we merely weren’t ok in ball possession – we gave so many balls away, we didn’t have sufficient rhythm, sufficient goal, sufficient menace, and defensively we have been second finest. We couldn’t management them immediately, it was really easy for them to win that first or second ball and have the chance to run; we conceded two actual objectives like we did towards West Ham, and when you try this on this league, it turns into actually troublesome to win.
Like I stated, even when I needed to argue with this, I couldn’t. It was a genuinely horrible efficiency, with no redeeming options by any means. Not a single participant was wherever close to their finest degree, and much too many have been a good distance off that. When that occurs within the Premier League, you lose. Easy as that.
The one factor I’d say this morning is that each workforce has a little bit of a blip in kind through the season, and we have now to ensure that this was ours. Previous tense. There’s an FA Cup recreation towards Liverpool on the weekend, then a break and a few heat climate coaching (I believe), after which we play Crystal Palace. It’s, in all honesty, an excellent time for us to have that likelihood to reset, regroup, work on what’s gone mistaken, and get going once more. What else can we do?
This was a dismal strategy to finish 2023, however let’s hope we are able to make 2024 so much higher. Talking of which, I’d prefer to want all of you a contented, wholesome, profitable and peaceable new yr. Thanks for being with us all through.
I would like espresso. I would like some type of sandwich. After which I’ll be able to document an Arsecast Further with James shortly.
Till then.
