Arsenal: Overcoming the crisis or continuing the so-called ‘letting go cycle’?

Arsenal Overcome the crisis or continue the so-called cycle of letting go 3

The recent defeat to Manchester City was the third consecutive match Arsenal could not win in the English Premier League, thereby prolonging the fans’ worries about the unstable performance of the home team.

 

The great battle that is considered the decisive confrontation of the whole season between Arsenal and Manchester City has recently ended with the victory in favor of coach Pep Guardiola’s teachers and students. Despite occupying most of the possession of the ball for 90 minutes, the “Gunners” still had to accept their third defeat of the season because of mistakes from the defense and the ungratefulness in front of the opponent’s goal of the strikers.

“The important thing is what we can improve after this defeat,” coach Mikel Arteta said after the game. The Spanish strategist also thinks that the season is still very long ahead, and what needs to be done now is how his team will react, first of all, the trip to Villa Park in the next round. A win will boost the morale of the players and bring Arsenal back to the top of the table before Manchester City come to visit Nottingham Forest. On the contrary, if the defeat against Aston Villa, the crisis at Emirates will become more and more serious.

Overall, it’s completely understandable to only get 1 point against three nasty opponents recently. However, many experts believe that the opponents have gradually caught up with Arsenal’s style of play, and the source of this problem lies in the personnel changes decided by Arteta. Specifically, with 16 changes in the starting lineup, “Gunners” is the club with the least disturbance in the ranks of 11 players starting each match. In contrast, their direct competitor, Manchester City, is in the top 4 with 54 starting lineup adjustments.

Arsenal Overcoming the crisis or continuing the so-called letting go 1 . cycle
Number of personnel changes in the starting lineup of 20 teams.

Another concern is that Arteta’s team has been 3km behind the opponents in terms of total distance traveled in the last three matches, which has only happened five times in the previous 14 rounds. The signs of fatigue were most evident in the second half of the encounter with Manchester City, when the “Gunners” put all their strength into attacking in the first half and let The Citizens comfortably press for 45. minutes left.

The physical exhaustion also partly affected the decision to pass or finish the ball of Arsenal strikers, specifically Gabriel Magalhaes passed the error and led to the second goal in the match. last match.

Arsenal Overcome the crisis or continue the so-called cycle of letting go 2
The distance traveled by Arsenal compared to the opponent.

The question now is what can Mikel Arteta change to refresh Arsenal?

On the left wing, Leandro Trossard gradually showed his ability and could completely start instead of a mutant Gabriel Martinelli when he lost the support from Gabriel Jesus. In addition, with the injury that Thomas Partey has, Jorginho will be the optimal choice that Arteta can make. In fact, the Italian midfielder is one of the few Arsenal players to play stably against Manchester City when possessing many interceptions as well as attacking the ball.

Arsenal Overcome the crisis or continue the so-called cycle of letting go 3
Trossard is becoming a new inspiration in Arsenal attack.

However, that seems to be all the game-changing substitutions that Arteta has at hand. The Fabio Viera, Reiss Nelson or Kieran Tierney have all not proven to be as capable as the main doubles, thereby partly explaining the reason why the above names are rarely launched when Arsenal meet a stalemate. Besides, the slowdown in the scoring aspect of Eddie Nketiah in the past 4 matches is enough to make Arteta look forward to the return of Gabriel Jesus more than ever. With the Brazilian player on the attack in the first half of the season, every path to the ball of the Emirates Stadium team proved to be elegant when Jesus actively backed down to link the lines and at the same time possessed the ability to dribble to disrupt the line. Very impressive defense. Against Everton, Brentford and Manchester City, Arsenal’s expected goal index is only 1.10,

In addition to the offensive aspect, Arsenal’s defense is gradually revealing many concerns. The central defender duo is considered a wall of the “Gunners” with the combination of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes showing weakness when the opponent deploys a direct, physical and good air-fight. In a dispute that almost led to a penalty for Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium, Gabriel, despite his protective body, still let Erling Haaland pass and approach the penalty area. In addition, the decline in performance of Takehiro Tomiyasu – who is more appreciated in the defensive aspect than Ben White, also made Arsenal fans worried as the season gradually entered the most intense period.

With the above details, Aston Villa can fully exploit Arsenal’s loose links in the next round, especially when this team is being led by the master of tactical analysis Unai Emery – an ex of “The Gunners”. As for Mikel Arteta, this is a match where he and his students are required to have 3 points after the final whistle to strengthen the confidence of the fans – who have waited 19 years to see the sub team. raise the title of Premier League champion. Recently, “Professor” Arsene Wenger also said that in the future, it is difficult for his old team to be in a favorable position to compete for the throne like the current season.

Now, or never, Arsenal!