The first half was better than I expected. Arsenal held their own and even had a few plays where they probably could have scored.
One of the more glaring Arsenal mistakes in the first half was when Cedric had the ball at the top of the penalty circle and the fans started shouting “shoot”. At that moment, Lacazette made a brilliant run into space which Cedric should have found with an easy pass but he was so focussed on shooting with his off foot that he didn’t even see Lacazette. Had he made that pass, there’s no guarantee Laca would have scored – because let’s face it, he’s in terrible goal-scoring form – but it was the position he needs to be in to get a goal.
It wasn’t just Cedric, Lacazette returned the favor a few minutes later when he too had the ball in the central area close to the 18 yard box and instead of playing in Martinelli on the left, opted to shoot. As the first half came to a close, I tweeted that I just felt like we needed to keep our composure, find the extra pass in the final third, and not lose our heads. I know that 1 and 3 are the same thing, but it seemed important.
And in the first five minutes of the second half we had another chance, this time Lacazette picked up a crazy back-pass by Thaigo and was one-v-one with Alisson but couldn’t get around the keeper. He passed to Øde in the box and the Norwegian should have fired in first time, but he needed a touch to get his composure and it was time enough for Alisson to slide over and make a fingertip save.
Right after that is when Jota scored. Ben White picked up some criticism for his defending there but he shouldn’t. Mane made a great run to drag him over and open the space, Øde didn’t apply any pressure to Thiago, Thomas didn’t do anything, and Cedric didn’t sniff the run until way too late, all as Jota made a run into the space vacated by White, following Mane.
Thiago got a lot of credit for the pass but it was a basic one: he was unmarked, Jota unmarked, and Arsenal’s midfield were doing nothing. The defenders get the stick here and didn’t look great but they managed to keep Jota on the outside, which should have made the save routine but Aaron Ramsdale bottled it. That’s the bottom line there for me. Despite the small errors in defense (which I am saying go all the way up the spine of the team to Øde who didn’t provide any pressure), that was a saveable shot. Ramsdale still has plenty of credit in his bank, so it’s not the end of the world but he’ll be looking to do better in that situation in the future.
Right after the goal, Klopp stuck with his planned substitutions and on came Firmino and Salah. Arsenal, however, didn’t react to the goal very well and seemed to lose their heads. Suddenly the sapces got tighter, Liverpool were able to apply more pressure, they forced Arsenal into turnovers and got on the front foot.
Part of the problem was that Xhaka kept dropping deep and that double-pivot just doesn’t work at Arsenal. I’m pretty sure that Xhaka dropping deep isn’t part of Arteta’s plan because what happens when Arsenal try to play Thomas and Xhaka in the deep role at the same time is similar to what happened when Unai tried it: it invites pressure. You would think it would make it easier to play out of pressure – because they have a teammate close by to pass to – but with these players it just doesn’t work. Maybe their touch is a millisecond too long, their turning radius half a yard too wide, their recovery a 1/4 step too short, or the space up top underutilized, but whatever the reason*, the double-pivot doesn’t work at Arsenal.
I think Arteta knows this. He’s moved Xhaka away from the deep role and into a more advanced role and it has opened things up for Thomas. Thomas looked amazing in the first half. He was playing sliderule passes up the pitch, he was avoiding pressure with dribbles, and was able to pass out of trouble and he was often available as an outlet to get things started. But as soon as we conceded that first goal, we dropped back into that old formation and Liverpool had a field day.
In the end though, I’m not complaining about the players or the performance. It was a very positive first 50 minutes, one where we could have had a couple goals on a better day. Plus, Liverpool are supposed to beat us, remember? This result was exactly what we should have expected and frankly, it could have been worse. This Liverpool side beat us 4-0 in November, with 4.3 xG! Yesterday, they had just 0.8 xG which would suggest that we did a lot better controlling the match than 4 months ago.
And there were other positives as well. Martinelli roasted TAA (twice) and Henderson in the same possession and could have had an assist if we had a more mobile and in-form center forward. And Thomas had one of his best games of the season (as I’ve already mentioned). With Saka providing chaos on the right and Øde playing through the half-spaces, we seem to have some of the parts to be more effective.
But it’s also true that we are missing a lot of quality if we want to play in the top four for any sustainable period of time. Just look at Liverpool’s front line – Jota, Salah, Mane, Firmino (whose stock is falling and yet scored a brilliant goal against us), and Luis Diaz. As much as I love Saka, Smith Rowe and Ødegaard we have a few years to go before those players are at the level of Jota, Salah, and Mane. And while we wait for those guys to mature, upgrades are required for a few other positions this summer.
However! The first half shows us that the good news is that Arteta seems to have finally gotten his team to play the way he wants. And that the way he wants us to play controls the game and is on the front foot. And overall, that’s very positive.
*I think it’s just Xhaka. He has good qualities and playing in tight spaces isn’t one of them.
Lacazette seems to simply lack the hunger for goals that’s required at the very top level.
He’ll play the occasional neat combination or good bit of hold up play, but he’s found lacking on so many occasions every match.
Our over dependence on youth like Saka and Martinelli for providing attacking inspiration is a huge indictment on him.
He was also shown up for pace more than once yesterday. I appreciate all he’s given us but if we can get a younger player who’s even slightly better, I think we should.
I was at the game yesterday and completely agree with all your points. I thought Partey & Martinelli were our best players, with Ben White also looking excellent. Was super disappointed that Ramsdale let that 1st one in. A colleague of mine is a Shef United supporter and he mentioned previously that Ramsdale tends to try and guess what a striker is going to do, rather than just getting all the basics right, such as positioning himself to cover the near post, etc. I think that when he saw Jota run into the box, he anticipated him to play it across the 6-yard box and therefore was too far out onto that side. That gave Jota loads of room on the near post to aim at. Hopefully as Ramsdale gains more experience, he will get that out of his game, because he’s generally really good. Also, hope we can get Tomi back after the international break. Really missed him yesterday.
Yeah, Cedric has done OK in this run but we missed that bit more that he gives us.
A pretty nice summary, Tim. Definitely some positives to take from the game that was lost before it even started according to many pundits and fans alike. As you mentioned, in the previous game against Pool we’ve conceded 4. Now it’s 2. Next it’s 1. Then .5 … kidding. But we did look better, more compact, more organised, more resolute, more determined, etc… Sure, we’ve made a few mistakes (first goal should have never happened) but overall we looked much better side comparing to November of last year. Having said that, we absolutely must improve on Xhaka, and Lacazette. One should’ve been gone years ago, and the other is a combination of past his prime and/or doesn’t exactly suit our style of play. Dare I say it, Auba would’ve done better for us yesterday(?). But Auba is gone so we should either try and convert Martinelli to a striker (ala Henry) and let ESR play in his spot or get one in the summer. But an upgrade on Xhaka is a MUST. Also, really would like to see Pepe given more minutes. Games like yesterday, for example, is when you need all of your speedy players out there to play on the counter. Lacazette just doesn’t cut it.
I can see why Arteta isn’t trying Martinelli at striker – he’s slight of frame and has a very direct attitude that works well on the wings where he can have 1v1 duels with opposing full backs and help the team by forcing the other team’s CB’s to come help on the flanks, opening space in the middle.
It’s got to be a Domenic Calvert-Lewin or someone with that kind of frame and physical presence – get on the end of crosses, enough strength to back into a VVD and hold the ball up, enough size and balance to power through a crowd and poke a shot in.
Do you think Odegaard could put in a good word to his mate? I’m sure we could match salary to whatever Real or Barca are offering Haaland? 62.5m release clause, that’s an incredible bargain. One can only dream…
Last night’s game was a good indicator of where this side is….
Lots of positives – better defensively (concede fewer opportunities); significantly improved passing (some of the passing and interplay were top drawer); dangerous on the wings (Saka and Martinelli are a great combo that would/will frighten most teams); against all but the very best teams you’d back Arsenal to win.
Where there’s room to grow – we lack incision (the team need a pacey centre forward); against the top sides Arsenal fall away in the second half (probably a lack of confidence and experience). That will come in time.
We had them in the first half but didn’t really land a punch. Second half they adjusted and imposed their strength. No shame in that. We’re a couple of goal scorers away from being a top side.
We need to be mindful also that Liverpool had a lot on the line. They knew the title push would likely be over if they lost. They have a telepathy now that comes from having players and a manager in place for many years, with a clear identity of how they want to play. I don’t think it’s any indictment of the progress that we’ve lost to maybe team 1B in Europe, City being 1A (and Chelsea arguably 2).
We’re three players away, imho.
And anyone who says Aubameyang would have helped yesterday, I would disagree. Martinelli probably didn’t show well statistically, but he was actually very good for ball retention – he made himself available coming back into midfield, moved the ball quickly and passed it off under pressure.
I’m ambivalent on Martinelli.
He did three things yesterday which made me get very excited and I like that but when I watch him play I’m always a bit taken back by the fact that he dribbles with his head down and his final balls are always just a little bit off because of that. He’s definitely going to get better but I’m not sure what his ceiling is going to be.
100% agree that he’s a heads down player. Which is why he’s best on the wings and he can focus on being direct, 1v1 with the fullback and driving forward. He’s a very different player to Saka and ESR, but that doesn’t mean he will be less effective ultimately. He reminds me of an early Raheem Sterling who also wanted to dribble at players and be very direct, it took years to get him consistently scoring goals and even then Sterling was never really prolific.
He’s 20. Plenty of time to blossom. You can see what Klopp likes. Speed, courage, nose for goal. Nobody’s banging until their mid 20s. I like what I see so far.
We’re quite spoiled for this season for young attacking talent in the premier league – Olise , Gelhardt, Broja, never mind Foden and Sancho. These are the kids Martinelli should be compared to.
My only concern with the kids is that ESR is clearly second fiddle to MO and not getting enough game time.
Ramsdale’s mistake was the game’s crucial turning point. That’s a howler. Allisson by contrast, in 3 passages of play, helped to win that game. One, in completely covering his near post during an Arsenal attack similar to the one from from Jota scored. Two, in showing Laca the outside as he got through one on one (a faster, more mobile CF would have rounded him), and three, in making that save from Ode. Ode, unusually, did not pick up his head. And like Tim said, should have hit it first time. But great goalkeeping, though.
What Aubameyang would have done is unprovable conjecture. We should let it go. The guy’s proving at Barca that he’s still an elite striker who we may not have optimised of late; our young attack has made big strides forward without him. Win win. Let it go.
Good to see Martinelli enhancing his reputation. He’s the better of Brazil’s 2 young attacking Gabriels, imo.
As many others have pointed out, this was progress. Liverpool is likely one of the top 3-5 teams in the world. And while they are definitely still a step above, we didn’t look completely outclassed. If Odegaard scores or Ramsdale isn’t beaten at the near post, maybe we do win that.
That said, their ability to bring Salah and Firmino off the bench shows there’s still a pretty significant gap. We had ESR in reserve, and that’s impressive, but he’s not yet Salah.
Fine margins, and that’s why we need upgrades on both Laca and Xhaka. While Laca was fine in the press and the linkup, for this type of match, we need more of a goal threat from that role. And Xhaka was not too bad either. His great pass to Martinelli created our best chance late in the match. And he hustled right to the end. But against a really strong midfield press, he struggled a bit.
One thing I do want to call out…the crowd. Really felt like there was a ton of vocal support for the team. No Emirates library kind of thing. Hopefully that continues to be the case. Off we go to Villa, and hopefully they have saved energy for that match, which is more critical in the overall scheme of things.
We didn’t play badly, rather the opposite. We’re definitely getting there. Another year or two, another signing or two…we’re already purring with the kind of class that takes clubs to the top. And we’re the youngest team in the league.
I’m already looking to Crystal Palace on Monday, which is also a stern test. Patrick Vieira has done a hell of job there. I’m so proud of him. Maybe he belongs here instead of Arteta? It going to a real battle for three points.
There is Aston Vila on Saturday, coached by Gerard , who was a gtreat player and turned out the only intelligent coach among the newbie managers.
Great review Tim. You’re a superb writer. Thanks again.
We definitely looked better then the game in November but we were not in good form back then but we have been in our best form in 3 -4 years right now so comparing the 2 games is probably not an accurate assessment.
Arteta made the point that their quality in the box was the difference and I agree. Despite our much improved football performances this season we are still only on pace to score 5 more goals this season compared with last years bad football and we still have a lot of tough games to go and we may not even make it to 60 total goals this season. We just don’t have the firepower to compete at this level
Hehe. Bill of 7amkickoff™
You’ll probably feel vindicated by Arteta’s recent remarks:
https://arseblog.com/2022/03/villa-preview-possible-changes-but-who-and-how/
Martinelli Saka ESR are all good players but as Tim said in the post they are not Mane, Salah, Jota, Firmino nor are they Sanchez, Ozil, Cazorla and we can’t just assume they will become those sort of players with time. We have been down this road dozens and dozens of times before and potential most often has not developed into production.
Martinelli is currently scoring at the about the same rate as Lacazette. Martinelli is on pace to score 7 goals in 38 games and suggesting that moving him to CF will be anymore successful then Walcott and he will develop into a high scoring player is far from a certainty. Saka, Martinelli and ESR are nice players but they are currently on pace to score only 31 goals combined this season. We are fortunate the teams we are competing with for the last CL spot have been inconsistent and 4th this season is a real possibility. However, if we hope to move up to competing regularly with the CL clubs in our leage or in the world we clearly need to spend some money to upgrade our quality in the attacking box.
Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard and ESR are all good to very good players. All 4 can do some really good things on the pitch and create chaos for the opposition defense with an eye pleasing style of play. Saka is the best of the group and has most potential and he is probably our most likely player to score a goal in any game, IMO.
The problem we have is none of the “big 4” profile as high scoring players. When Saka who is currently on pace to score 11 goals is our best player and top goal threat the simple math for total number of team goals just does not work and our short and long term ceiling is capped. Saka is an excellent right sided forward but he would be more effective if he did not have the burden of being the teams best player. Put him on the front line with a couple of high scoring players like RVP and Alexis Sanchez or Sergio Aguero and Bobby Pires and that would change everything. We bought Auba a few years ago so its possible to find high scoring players. I think we were trying to buy a star players when we bought Pepe but that did not work. Hopefully our front office brain trust can find a couple of players who can be the “star players” we need to fulfill the potential of the current “big 4”
I only started watching for the last 10 minutes of the first half and saw nothing special in the way we played from then onwards. You would never has guessed that we were the home tram.
So if it is correct that they played well in the rest of the first half, so what, if they could not manage not a single shot on target in the whole of the first half.
If that is what Arteta is trying to achieve, then what really is the point.
The only positive for me during the whole time that I was watching was Martinelli, but if he has no one to pass to at the end, why bother.
It was clear to me that Liverpool were playing well within themselves, whilst we were busting a gut.
I remain extremely unimpressed with what Arteta is doing and cannot see much room for improvement at all.
There is no point in stomping all over the weaker teams, when you cannot match the better ones.
Well, JJGSOL, Liverpool are one of the top couple teams in the world. Joint favorites with City to win the CL. And we’re the youngest team in the PL. And have generally been blown out by Liverpool in recent years.
Seems to me that us competing well against City and Pool with this team is not too bad. I’m pretty sure that there’s no manager in the world that would take this group from 8th to top two in a season.
And to a certain extent I agree. With this current set of players, competing for 3rd/4th is probably about it. We really do need a higher caliber striker and another good central midfielder to take the next step.
In any case, the matches against MU and Spurs will be a much better barometer than Liverpool.
if you missed the first 35 minutes, you missed nearly 40% of the game. you missed the way arsenal contended with the liverpool attack. you missed arsenal pressing them, forcing them to give the ball away. the reality is no one believes arsenal are better than liverpool. they’re probably the best team in the world with a world class manager and chocked full of superstars they can bring off the bench. arsenal have no superstars and little depth. we were all hopeful but it would have taken a dynamite performance and a ton of luck to beat liverpool. this is a young team. go easy on them. if we can keep it together, the arsenal’s time will come.
the biggest difference between arsenal back in november and on wednesday is lacazette is leading the line. another difference is that odegaard and partey are playing better, as they’re beginning to settle at the club. however, the biggest difference is the arsenal center forward play. in fact, he’s the primary reason arsenal are playing better since aubameyang was dropped.
i was explaining to someone, maybe bill, a while ago that senior players tend to have a sort of regressive progression. it sounds like an oxymoron but really, it says that as players become more experienced leaders, they tend to take up deeper positions on the pitch which allow them to control the game more. they become less concerned with stats and more concerned with doing what ever it takes to help the team win. this isn’t universal as you have some players like cristiano and mo salah who have ocd about scoring goals. however, we watched arteta, once an attacking player, become a cdm later in his career. the same with cazorla. my favorite example is lothar matthaüs, once a striker/winger, finished his career as a central defender for germany and fc bayern. there’s a seemingly natural inclination for senior leaders to control the game and let the young guys have the glory. maybe that’s what lacazette is experiencing. he’s not goal hungry, he’s hunting for silverware.
disclaimer: i made that shit up.
another disclaimer: i’ve never said that arsenal can’t do better than lacazette. i’ve never said he was world class. my argument has been that he’s the best center forward arsenal have, except for his first 6 months at the club when i declared that giroud was the best center forward arsenal have. everyone was so excited about signing lacazette because of the same reason; that he was faster than giroud. well, the truth is he’s not much faster but he is more nimble.
i said about 18 months ago that arsenal needed to extend lacazette for an additional year with the option of a second year. they failed and now, they have no control. it won’t be easy to upgrade lacazette…and everyone will know the club are desperate to and charge top dollar for a bunch of guys who will still be step-downs to laca. that’s not to mention the fact that arteta may have developed a bit of a reputation. we’ll see what the club does.
Nope.
We don’t need Lacazette. We need goals above everything else atm, and Lacazette doesn’t have them.
He’s playing because there’s literally no one else, and I think Arteta’s hesitant to try left field portions like Martinelli, Pepe , Smith Rowe in a tight CL race.
Nope. He’s playing there because Arsenal score goals when he does. Not Lacazette goals. Arsenal goals. I’m with Josh here. No one is saying Lacazette shouldn’t score more goals. We’re saying if you take Laca out, we very well might score fewer goals. Both things can be true. His possession and hold up play, along with his defense create opportunities. It’s easy to overlook and underrate. Are there better strikers? Of course. Is Laca slow and lumbering? Yes. He doesn’t beat anyone to the near post. He rarely gets in behind. And we score way more goals with him in there than anyone else. We should absolutely try to upgrade, but it will be very difficult and expensive. As much as I’ve defended him, I was very frustrated watching him today vs. Villa. Still, I can understand why he’s there, and why Auba, brilliant scorer that he is, wouldn’t have made the team score more. Auba would score more, but Arsenal would score less. He wasn’t the system fit that Laca is. Saka and ESR and Martinelli and Ode didn’t thrive with Auba. Arteta made a tough choice, but it was the right one for everyone. I’m thrilled for Auba at Barca. I miss him. And I’m glad he’s not our center forward.
Statistically and by the eye test this was a pretty even match. Holding Liverpool to < 1 xG in a game they had to have is nothing short of impressive for anyone, let alone a team who got blown out by them earlier this year.
Liverpool are the finished product. We are not yet but we are on that path. Right now we are similar to what they were in Klopp’s second or third season when they started to figure things out in midfield and Salah became what he is today. Arteta consistently references them as a team the built their squad the right way, getting players to fill specific needs within a specific style they knew they wanted to play. That began for them about 7 years ago with the hiring of Klopp, and that puts them about 5 years ahead of us in their championship cycle. The players they bought since then are still in their primes, their young fullbacks developed into world class stars, and even old guard stalwarts like Milner and Henderson are still playing big minutes. They are in their golden window: young players not too young anymore, old players not too old yet, and their success means more money for more talent every season. It’s no wonder they have better players and more depth up and down the pitch, not to mention a settled, consistent style of play. That combination has won them everything there is to win.
Arsenal have faced an even more complete rebuild than Liverpool, and have had to do it without major transfer fees for either of their big ticket stars, whereas Liverpool managed huge transfer fees for both Coutinho and Fernando Torres. They also had to do it in the midst of a pandemic and in a transfer market short on buyers for their fringe talent. Nevertheless they found a way to put the product you saw on the pitch within a few months of a disasterclass start to the season. No, Arsenal are nowhere close to Liverpool yet. The table shows us that. But they ARE better than anyone else below them, and that includes some big names and rivals. More than that, they’re not depending on a divisive 37 year old or a want-away mouth breather for their offense. When the season started I don’t think any of us would’ve realistically expected any more than this.
Forget Torres, my memory for scouse strikers is clearly hazy. The 80m for Coutinho was legit though.
I agree with PRVHC. We are using Lacazette at CF because we don’t have any better options. After todays game we are on pace to score 59.7 goals. Its very rare in the last 12 years for any team which scores <60 goals in a season to finish in the top 4. We are fortunate all of the teams we are competing with for 4th have been inconsistent because given our lack of firepower we would not be in the race for top 4 in most seasons. Suggesting that Lacazette is doing such a great job facilitating the rest of the teams scoring makes seems unrealistic when you look at the actual numbers. A team which is struggling to score enough goals can’t afford to carry a CF who is on pace to score about 6 goals this season.
All that said another good result today and a low scoring win today puts in great shape for a top 4 finish.
Bill, this side is on course for 4th place not because of the number of goals it scores but because of the number it concedes.
What Arteta has done very well and deserves a lot of credit for is to build a side which is very good at neutralising the opposition and reducing their chances of scoring.
The last two games illustrate this well. They kept ‘Pool to an XG of <1 and Villa with 1 shot on target. It’s not about firepower, it’s about winning small margin games.
Yeah, we need to score more goals as a team, and get a striker who does.
Arteta agrees on both counts. It’s a ‘non-negotiable’ now 😂
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10628193/amp/Mikel-Arteta-says-Arsenal-score-90-100-goals-season-compete-Premier-League-title.html