In their 9th game of the season, Arsenal failed to break down a stubborn Middlesbrough defence as the tie ended 0-0 at the Emirates on the occasion of Arsene Wenger’s 67th birthday. The manager would’ve definitely expected more from his team as they have been in scintillating form. The Gunners beat Ludogorets 6-0 in the Champions League, a result that lifted the whole team. It gave them momentum to go on in the season, but their slip-up at home to Middlesborough is likely to drain out some of that confidence.
The Gunners looked lack-luster and were vulnerable defending on the counter attack as Aitor Karanka’s men managed to string together a couple of nice moves. Spanish winger Adama Traore was at the end of most of these moves and he performed extremely well and was unlucky to not score in the match. Cech made a couple of fine saves and Arsenal have their experienced keeper to thank as he managed to keep another clean sheet under immense pressure.
So what went wrong for The Gunners?
How did they fail to breach a Middlesbrough defence that has been leaking goals? More questions than answers really. For starters, the absence of Calum Chambers might have had a big say. The English man, who is on loan at Riverside from Arsenal, was ineligible to play. He has started a lot of games for Middlesbrough off late and has failed to hold his own together at times . He has been at fault for some of the goals they’ve conceded.
Lack of creativity
Arsenal were missing Santi Cazorla who was missing through an Achilles injury. His absence was felt the most as Elneny and Coquelin failed to provide much in an attacking sense. They performed their defensive midfield duties well enough but just didn’t give the kind of impetus that Santi usually does to his attacking players. Of course they can’t be expected to reach the heights of the Spaniard but their performances were sub-par to say the least. Mesut Ozil too had an off-night as he struggled to break down the opposition defence.
Absence of a focal point
Although Sanchez has been performing the striker role to good effect, his ineffectiveness as the focal point has shown itself on a number of occasions. The Chilean is very good at taking the ball away from defenders and posing trouble all in all, but one thing he isn’t good at is hold-up play. He struggled to bring others into the game and was quite isolated upfront. Even the introduction of new signing Lucas Perez didn’t do much to help Arsenal’s cause. The Spaniard did showcase some of his skill but it wasn’t enough to influence the game in a positive sense.
Defensive fragility
Even though Arsenal ended the day with a clean sheet against their name, they can attribute that solely to Cech. He made several outstanding saves throughout the game to keep his opponents at bay. The fact that their goal was repeatedly under such goal threat obviously had a negative impact on the Arsenal players’ minds. They failed to create much in the final exchanges of the game. Gaston Ramirez even hit the crossbar from an angled free kick effort. Adama Traore repeatedly shredded the Arsenal defence to pieces. Only some brilliant last ditch defending from Koscielny and Mustafi helped Arsenal snatch a point.
So where do Arsenal go from here?
Following Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Southampton, the Gunners slipped down to second place owing to an inferior goal difference to that of Manchester City’s. Wenger will be looking to ring in the changes for Arsenal’s next two games. They face Reading in the League Cup at home followed by a league game away at Sunderland. He will be expecting his star players to turn up for these games and get the job done in both games.
Wenger should look to give Lucas Perez more of a go. This will help in letting him settle into a league that is quite foreign to him. He did well in his previous League Cup outing and will be looking to repeat that. Giroud, if fit too should be given a chance to remind all of us about what he can do. The Frenchman lead the line for France at Euro 2016 but has hardly got a look in since returning late from international duty. Injuries and Wenger’s intention to use Alexis there prolonged Giroud’s return to the starting line up.
Arsenal fans will also be hoping that Santi Cazorla returns from injury. Aaron Ramsey could also play a part in the forthcoming games. The Welshman will be expected to deliver the goods for an Arsenal team that are hoping to vie for the Premier League Crown this term.
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