Arsenal rocked up at Fulham a 12 months in the past this month and had been overwhelmed 2-1. Quick-forward a 12 months, and the efficiency is nearly scene-for-scene.
The Gunners have not modified all that a lot in a 12 months. Supervisor Mikel Arteta spent all summer season saying that his job was to get probably the most out of his gamers; there was a blip the place Martin Odegaard was out injured and there have been fixed requires a extra conventional striker to exchange false 9 Kai Havertz.
However as Arsenal toiled away in entrance of a well-organised Fulham facet, the personel grew to become irrelevant: on either side, too, with Joachim Andersen unavailable to marshall the backline, the north Londoners on their ninth separate iteration of a defence in 15 video games and Odegaard restored.
Arsenal nonetheless have big hassle dealing with a mid-block – and till they discover a method to type it, they will not win the league
There have been solutions that Martin Odegaard is the fix-all concern for Arsenal; that his influence is Rodri-sized. Fulham confirmed everybody that the Gunners have far greater issues.
Simply as final season, Marco Silva organised his facet right into a strong mid-block and seemed to hit the guests in transition. Mikel Arteta referred to as them “well-organised” in his post-match interview. In reality, his crew did not have lots of defending to do.
Arsenal’s two most artistic gamers are often 10 yards from each other, with the left-winger remoted and on the touchline. With no Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber was left to invert from left again. Declan Rice had a few good possibilities – as he did towards Newcastle United – however he isn’t the box-crashing midfielder you’d maybe have needed them to fall to.
When the Gunners click on, they are often unstoppable with fluidity in assault and a construction during which each participant feels comfy. Typically although, it is this simple to cease them.
For all of the requires £100 million to be thrown at a prime striker, you get the sensation that only a easy overlap from a full-back would have an identical impact: Trossard, Martinelli and Saka so far-off from the field feels so counterintuitive. Immediately, Arsenal lacked a left-footed starter on the lefthand facet of the pitch: it was nearly inconceivable to stretch the play.
Accidents have ravaged this backline and Arteta has struggled for consistency along with his line-ups. However for the second successive season, Marco Silva has far too simply collected factors towards his crew – and even had Gabriel Martinelli not been flagged offside for a ruled-out winner, this is a matter that’s costing Arsenal again and again.
It was the identical towards Newcastle earlier this season, it might have towards Manchester United however for 2 extra set-piece objectives. It was the issue towards Aston Villa that price them within the run-in final time period. and with Brentford and Brighton developing earlier than the FA Cup begins, the Gunners want to seek out options quick.
The dynamics of this crew should be fastened. It is a drawback that has haunted the Gunners since Granit Xhaka left the membership – and as soon as once more, it might threaten to derail their season.