74% possession for Arsenal. 30 shots (of which just 8 on target, however). An incredible 77 touches in the opponents’ penalty area (a PL record for a team that failed to score). And… xG 2.6 (from all those attempts), and goals scored Zero. Which indicates just how superior to West Ham Arsenal were - on paper at least - but…
This was a very difficult game to watch as an Arsenal supporter. For all the possession, so much of it was pointless. Passing from side to side, with little or no pace or aggression. Predictable patterns. Being forced time and again into areas where West Ham wanted them. And for pretty much the entire 90+ minutes failing to show the pace, desire and aggression required to beat a team that was perfectly happy - whilst the score remained 0-0 and especially 1-0 in their favour - to soak up the pressure (such as it was).
Yes, West Ham rode their luck. And from their point of view why the hell not? Despite being down to their third and fourth choice centre backs, they managed to hold off Arsenal for the entire game. There were times when a breakthrough was close, and there were one or two penalty shouts too, but ultimately Arsenal didn’t have the guile or good fortune to put the ball in the net.
So where did it go wrong? Well, we've seen this game many times before; opposition sitting back and hoping to hit on the break. And for the most part Arsenal do make the breakthrough. But this time there was none, yet Arsenal continued to do the same thing again and again. The very definition of madness!
There didn't seem to be any real Plan B, and so they went on looking to knock on the door in the same way. And the same way again. And again. If there's a stat that encompasses all the others I reeled off above, it's that no Arsenal player has more than 5 Premier League goals this season. No team is going to win the league with those sort of stats, and whilst I don't want to reel off a list of names here, what Arsenal would be able to do with anyone half as good as a Shearer, Van Nistelrooy, Drogba, Cole, Van Persie, Aguero or Kane in the team?
On top of all that, there was a sense of injustice. For West Ham's opener - caused, by the way, by some chaotic penalty area defending - the ball looked as if it may well have gone out of play before Bowen pulled it back. But, as with the Newcastle game a few weeks ago, the ball was on the opposite side of the pitch to where the linesman was, and there was 'no clear angle' to alter the on pitch call. I'll leave you to decide what the still photograph indicates, seeing as there no point debating or complaining about the lack of a camera to do the job properly. Yet lightning has struck twice, and it could only happen to Arsenal.
For West Ham's second, former Arsenal reserve (for goodness' sake!) Constatinos Mavropanos rose virtually unchallenged to send a bullet header into the net via the underside of the bar. Another goal this season conceded directly from a corner. Embarrassing.
The pattern of play was laboured. Most of the side looked jaded - nobody hit 7/10 for me (Odegaard perhaps the closest). Arteta seemed unable to influence matters as he made predictable substitutions. The final one - ESR - came 15 minutes before the end and - for me - 15 minutes too late. At 0-2, give the boy a chance, Mikel! Did they miss the suspended Havertz? Perhaps. But Trossard is not a like-for-like replacement and perhaps ESR could have started?
Of course, if one of those early chances goes in, then it's a different game. But none did, and so the players - and crowd - became more and more frustrated as time passed. Yet, as far as the players were concerned, there was little discernable difference in the methodology. As I said to my daughter at around about the hour mark: 'They could play until Monday afternoon and they still won't score'.
Even Declan Rice looked flustered. Some of that masy have been due to him coming up against his old team-mates, but even he was off the boil. I'm sure that he wouldn't have appreciated hearing boos from the ungrateful West Ham fans - what an obnoxious bunch they are, by the way - but you know; sticks and stones and all that. His last-minute concession of a penalty wouldn't have helped his mood, but Raya saved Benrahma's shot well. Otherwise... 0-3; that would have been a humiliation.
Goodness knows if he'll do it, but for me Arteta needs to shake the team up for Sunday's trip to Fulham. Bench Martinelli and start Trossard out there. Havertz back in. Find room for ESR. Start Eddie, even. Arsenal have become too predictable against sides who lack ambition, and the team isn't quite good enough to compensate for that. We're still maybe 3-4 players away from an ideal starting XI. Let's see what business can be conjured up between now and January 31st.
I'm annoyed, But I'm ATID, So COYG!
Spot on
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