Prior to the Southampton defeat, the Brighton game was a catastrophe in team selection. Mikel Arteta got it all wrong and left Albert Sambi Lokonga exposed by putting Granit Xhaka at left-back.
The reaction to the decision in his pre-match press conference was to double down on his decision instead of admitting the error. The Arsenal manager claimed that the record with Xhaka at left-back was good. In fact, he went as far as to say: “Then you can discuss whether Granit can play there, just look at the stats when the team has played with Granit as a left-back. They don't get much better than that.”
However, with some digging, it transpires that just a 50%-win rate has occurred with the Swiss international in his unorthodox role. Nuno Tavares though did return for the game against Southampton and looked sprightly. Arsenal did not look particularly vulnerable down their left flank and conceded with an amateurish piece of defending from their right instead. Mikel Arteta decided to make some changes in the second half which ultimately would cost them their chance creation.
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Cedric Soares made way for Emile Smith-Rowe to play as a left-sided attacking midfield and Tavares came off for Nicolas Pepe who then operated with Bukayo Saka on the right. These changes on the surface seem like a ‘throw the sink’ at the opposition type approach - perhaps hardly even that surprising? Arsenal had 19 shots in the second half with the majority coming after the two full-backs had departed. However, many of these chances came from speculative long-range efforts or mishit strikes, such as Smith-Rowe’s, when the ball fell fortuitously inside the area.
There was no cutting edge and not particularly any threat despite the frequency of opportunities. Taking off the fullbacks cost Arsenal their width. Suddenly the left was occupied by the right-footed Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli. Whilst the right saw the left-footed Saka and Pepe. There was no player with a strong right or left foot on their corresponding flank. No one to overlap and make accurate cutbacks or out-swinging crosses away from the grateful arms of Fraser Forster. Arsenal’s best chance came from a right-footed cross on the right-hand side to Saka who should have scored.
Their next best was a right-footed shot from left-footed Saka on the right-hand side that Forster palmed away. Still with me? Tactically Arteta surrendered control over what his team were doing. Style and substance went out the window in favour of chaotic chance creation and hope. Had the Gunners managed to get some fortune, the three points would have been welcome, but the manner in which they would have been achieved would have brought no assuredness of a turnaround in form.
It is these moments that separate the Arsenal we have seen these past three weeks and the side that they need to be. It is a side lacking know-how and the players unsurprisingly look lost. If Arteta is unable to solve these problems, then the problem may soon reveal itself to be much closer to home for the Arsenal manager, if it has not already.
