Arsenal 0-1 West Ham: It goes beyond injuries

Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video

Stats are an awesome addition to the soccer expertise, however yesterday’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham is a traditional instance of a recreation during which solely eyes are essential to make your judgement. The stats would possibly recommend Arsenal dominated, had 20 makes an attempt on purpose to West Ham’s 5, and from that you just would possibly suppose we had been unfortunate in a roundabout way.

Nothing could possibly be farther from the reality. The stark actuality is that West Ham had the most effective possibilities. Within the first half Thomas Soucek headed over from shut vary; Jarrod Bowen flashed a shot huge after Aaron Wan Bissaka did effectively down their proper hand aspect; and within the second half Bowen nearly made it 2-0, simply failing to make contact with an awesome cross that got here in from the left hand-side as he peeled off the again of Gabriel.

On the different finish, there was nothing a lot to write down residence about. A Riccardo Calafiori shot within the first half, a Leandro Trossard effort within the second which the keeper saved along with his foot, and that was about it. This isn’t a recreation you may look again on and suppose ‘If solely’ by way of golden alternatives we missed –  as a result of there weren’t any.

This was a dismal efficiency from begin to end. Within the absence of so many key attacking gamers, we would have liked these we needed to step up, and people round them to supply assist. I can’t be too essential of a central midfielder being pressed into motion as a centre-forward if he doesn’t play that position brilliantly, and I feel there’s good cause why a gifted 17 12 months previous can’t shine like he did the week beforehand – consistency is a tough factor to attain within the early a part of any profession.

However, I feel we will take a look at skilled gamers and count on higher. I assumed Declan Rice was very poor for the purpose we conceded, monitoring the run all the best way, after which simply letting Bowen go. Gabriel wasn’t nice there both, the 2 appeared to cross off the duty to one another with zero communication, and after Calafiori in all probability may have completed extra to cease the cross. A free header from shut vary was a dagger to the center for this Arsenal group.

You’ll be able to’t concede a purpose like that in our present scenario. Now we have to be defensively strong as a result of objectives are exhausting to return by with out our attacking choices the best way they’re. However, I feel yesterday went past accidents. They didn’t assist, clearly, however this can be a movie we’ve all seen earlier than once we’ve been confronted with a group who play with a again 5, a compact midfield which we will’t play by way of or round, and who keep organised to do the fundamentals effectively.

I feel it’s a day the place even when we had Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriels Martinelli and Jesus, we in all probability nonetheless would have struggled, as a result of these are usually the video games we discover most tough below the tenure of this supervisor. They’re Mikel Arteta’s Kryptonite. Perhaps that additional high quality helps us discover a approach by way of ultimately, however I’m 99% sure we’d have needed to huff and puff with out actually discovering any type of rhythm.

We had been clearly lacking these gamers, however I don’t suppose that’s an excuse for a group efficiency that was this under par. When the supervisor himself makes that clear, refusing in any technique to blame accidents or absences, I don’t suppose it’s a controversial opinion in any approach:

I by no means felt that we had been on the requirements or the degrees we would have liked to have extra risk after which don’t permit them to run. I’m speaking concerning the requirements of the gamers and the group that we performed at present, me included 100%, had been nowhere close to the degrees that we have now to hit to have the chance to win a Premier League recreation at present.  it was nowhere close to.

He was having not one of the suggestion it was about accidents, and it’s clear this was a efficiency which actually irked him. Which is one thing I feel most individuals can resonate with this morning. I didn’t actually have any difficulty with the beginning XI, Merino up prime just isn’t superb however what else is there? That’s a wider difficulty, and I don’t suppose there’s a lot level in re-litigating January as a result of every little thing about that has already been mentioned, however between accidents and a scarcity of switch exercise, the chickens got here residence to roost yesterday.

I feel even with these gamers absent, we should count on extra from the gamers out there. Martin Odegaard seems to be an extended, good distance from his greatest proper now – whether or not it’s damage or lack of kind or a mix of each of these issues, the dynamism and affect is gone from his recreation on the worst potential time. And once more, squad constructing comes into focus as a result of there’s no person to fill the hole. Final season we may have turned to Emile Smith Rowe or Fabio Vieira, and whereas your mileage might fluctuate on their means to make a distinction, they had been choices at the very least.

I discovered the Declan Rice substitution an odd one. Was he having a superb recreation? No. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that he and Calafiori, each implicated to some extent for the Bowen purpose, had been the boys hauled off early within the second half, however to take our greatest nook taker off on a day like this felt unusual – as a result of a set-piece appeared our probably technique to make a breakthrough. The very fact it was in opposition to his former membership and in simply the 56th minute was much more so, and while you change him with a left-back who you could have by no means proven any inclination of utilizing as a midfielder earlier than (regardless of repeated questions on it), it felt fairly pointed, reasonably than only a technique to attempt to change the sport. Maybe I’m studying an excessive amount of into it, nevertheless it wasn’t a health factor, so it obtained my spider senses tingling a bit.

The distress of the day was compounded by the sending off of Myles Lewis-Skelly, when a yellow was upgraded to pink for foul on Mohammed Kudus on the midway line. I feel we’ve had some bullshit pink playing cards this season, together with one for MLS himself however this was one we will don’t have any complaints about. I see chat a few foul by Kudus, nevertheless it’s one the place I feel we have now to just accept Lewis-Skelly made the incorrect determination on the ball, obtained caught out, and we paid the value. With David Raya to this point out of his purpose, I feel it’s a transparent goalscoring alternative and we’ll need to do with out him for the journey to Forest on Wednesday night.

Raheem Sterling got here on to make zero affect once more past a poor free kick, and Ben White changed Saliba late on. I did marvel why we didn’t see Jorginho come on for Thomas Partey, even for 15-20 minutes. In the event you’re ready to take Rice off for Zinchenko (who was worse than the person he changed by a long way for my part), I don’t actually perceive why you wouldn’t do this. A purpose might need been helpful, relying on what occurs at present, and if the supervisor is indignant (and to be truthful he included himself in that), not doing every little thing you may to vary a recreation ought to be a part of that.

It was a efficiency which calls for some introspection, however one we will’t permit to fester with an enormous recreation developing this week. The response must be instant, however the low-level nervousness a show like that produces goes to resonate for a number of days at the very least. There’s not rather a lot he can do otherwise along with his group choice for Wednesday, however he has to get much more from those self same gamers in opposition to a group who will invite us to interrupt them down in a lot the identical approach West ham did. That’s an issue he has to unravel.

All in all, it was a horrible day for Arsenal, and an awesome one for Liverpool. What slim hope there was of sustaining the title race has all however evaporated now. You might need come to phrases with that prior to now, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a painful one – notably as a win yesterday would have closed the hole and utilized a little bit of stress. We let ourselves down, and we allow them to off the hook.

Until tomorrow.