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Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video
Arsenal moved into second place within the Premier League after a 1-0 win over Ipswich, courtesy of a primary half Kai Havertz objective.
It’s truthful to say that the end result was good, however the recreation itself was not a traditional. With a entrance three of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, and with Havertz and Martin Odegaard behind them, Mikel Arteta picked what I believed was the proper group for a house recreation towards a struggling facet. Get attacking gamers on the pitch, and hopefully the objectives will comply with.
What we bought was outright domination within the first half. By the half hour mark, we have been a objective to the great, and had ‘loved’ 88% possession, which is sort of remarkable in Premier League phrases. It was turning that domination into probabilities that was the difficulty. There was a Jurrien Timber effort that he made for himself, and Rice fired one not far over, however other than the objective that was it.
Let’s not downplay the objective by the way in which. Trossard did effectively to beat his man on the skin and put in a left footed cross, however the way it discovered its strategy to Havertz with so many Ipswich defenders in there, I’m not fairly positive. The German was there although, like poacher, and his first time end nestled into the again of the web for 1-0. A few minutes later Jesus had the ball behind the web however the flag went up for offside, and that was about it for the primary 45 minutes.
I believe we have been a bit higher within the second half, however not considerably. With solely Ethan Nwaneri as a nominal attacking choice on the bench, there wasn’t a lot scope for change. Martinelli and Jesus have been quiet, Odegaard got here to life briefly with a brilliant run into the field however couldn’t discover the end, and one of the best likelihood of the second interval fell to Gabriel who inexplicably headed extensive from shut vary after we’d received a nook. By his personal very excessive requirements, that was a nasty miss.
Mikel Merino got here on for Jesus and noticed a shot saved, however Ipswich have been hanging on and as we bought into the ultimate 10 minutes, I feared the sucker-punch. The traditional state of affairs the place a group that has performed nothing all recreation – partly due to how effectively Arsenal managed it – finds a objective from nothing. When the lead is so precarious, even one second of high quality or one mistake is sufficient to drop extra factors, one thing we completely couldn’t afford to do.
I don’t assume it’s flawed to say Ipswich by no means appeared like scoring, however that’s solely true till it isn’t. At this degree, when you possibly can’t add a little bit of daylight to the scoreline, it’s at all times going to be a fear. It was a boring 1-0 win, however I favor my boredom at 2-0 or 3-0 (admittedly extra objectives make it much less boring although).
Working by means of the core of this efficiency was the thought: ‘Is that is what it’s going to be like with out Bukayo Saka?!’. Which is comprehensible. That mentioned, we’ve seen this sort of recreation play out loads of occasions with him on the pitch. Assume Everton just some weeks in the past, however the lack of firepower on the bench was apparent, as was our incapacity to vary issues in-game – and given the additional dangerous information about Saka (extra on that anon), it ought to provide everybody on the membership even vaguely related to recruitment pause for thought.
Let’s end with a few positives although. First, three factors are three factors, nevertheless you come by them. We discovered a strategy to win this one, and after a 4-0 defeat of their final recreation, you possibly can see there was a concerted effort from Ipswich to not get battered once more. Nevertheless, I believe the stability between them defending effectively and Arsenal missing attacking risk was skewed much more in the direction of the latter than the previous.
Secondly, I completely loved the efficiency and continued emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back. Finishing 58/59 passes, usually working in midfield too, his bravery on the ball stood out. As was his willingness to combine it with the opposition. When Liam Delap bought zero from battling William Saliba, he tried his luck with MLS and got here out second finest, and I beloved the way in which the 18 12 months outdated took umbrage with Kalvin Phillips and simply left a bit on him after a tussle with Gabriel. This younger man has bought it, and it’s actually thrilling to see him develop into this group.
Afterwards, Mikel Arteta was clearly happy with the win, however his reply when James requested him if he thought this was a extra full efficiency than the 5-1 win over Crystal Palace was actually instructive:
By way of how effectively we management the place, 10 occasions, as a result of we conceded 14 or 15 photographs towards Palace. And it’s nothing that we usually do. So general, I believe this one was a lot better. However, it’s in regards to the objectives as effectively, and the fantastic thing about it, and entertaining folks, and that one most likely was higher for them.
I believe everyone knows this about him now. He needs to provide the opposition nothing. He’s the form of man who would go house after a 5-1 win and stew over the 1 relatively than totally benefit from the 5. As all of us surprise what we would do within the January window to exchange Saka, there’s a part of me that wouldn’t be in any respect stunned if the reply was one other defender simply to ensure we concede even much less. I’m solely half-joking right here, by the way in which.
I believe if Gabriel scores that header, we’d be carrying a bit much less nervousness into this morning’s evaluation, however IFs are very large in soccer, and one other strategy to exert management over soccer matches is to attain objectives. You completely remove danger once you’re 2-0 or 3-0 up and defending in addition to we did. I do assume we have to give the Arsenal group credit score for the way defensively stable it’s. Ipswich supervisor Kieran McKenna mentioned afterwards that his group was dealing with the ‘a few of the finest defenders on this planet’, and I don’t assume he’s flawed, however final night time it was onerous to not assume the defensive management got here at the price of some attacking risk.
Anyway, this recreation is finished, let’s by no means consider it once more and simply take the three factors. The foremost post-game information was the truth that Bukayo Saka has had surgical procedure on his hamstring tear, which is clearly actually dangerous information. Any form of operation is a final resort, and it now means we’re going to be with out him for the longest attainable time frame when a participant picks up an issue like this.
It’s terrible information for him, so before everything let’s hope he has a speedy and full restoration, however now it’s about what Arsenal do to react. Regardless of the hole to Liverpool, I don’t rule Arsenal out of the title race because it stands. Nevertheless, whilst you can by no means say by no means in soccer, I don’t assume I’d be alone to counsel it will be an nearly inconceivable job until we did one thing in January to bolster the squad.
I learn final week that our mindset for this window was going to be ‘reactive’ – effectively, right here’s a giant downside we now have to react to. I don’t consider we are able to get by means of the following three months with out Saka, and with the attacking gamers we now have, and rating sufficient objectives to maintain us in that race. The information on Raheem Sterling is seemingly just a little higher than anticipated, however nor do I believe we are able to anticipate a lot from a participant with simply 146 minutes of Premier League soccer this season and who has by no means appeared sharp sufficient or harmful sufficient for a facet hoping to win the most important home prize of the season.
Let’s have a look at this as a scenario that goes past Saka too. There’s at all times been room for enchancment within the attacking third. Trossard shouldn’t be getting any youthful, Jesus has been barren till the final two video games, and Martinelli’s inconsistency has been a problem for practically two seasons now. It’s not nearly changing Saka for 3 months, it’s about augmenting the squad with a participant who can enhance us over the medium/long term. Who that’s, and who is likely to be out there in January is a superb query, however Arsenal want to maneuver heaven and earth to try to discover him when the window opens.
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Pod needs to be out round midday. For now, have one.
