Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video
I’m going to interrupt down at present’s weblog into completely different sections. It simply looks like one of the best ways to undergo final night time’s 1-1 draw with Brighton.
First Half
I assumed it was a typically stable first half efficiency from us. With Kai Havertz nonetheless unavailable, and Martin Odegaard additionally affected by sickness, Ethan Nwaneri stored his place on the precise hand aspect. And it was from there that our objective got here. Declan Rice and Mikel Merino mixed nicely, the latter performed a pleasant ball excessive – I believe it was for Rice however Nwaneri took it on.
We all know he’s a participant who can rating targets, and this end – whereas not essentially the most convincing he’ll ever produce – demonstrated his want and confidence. He had Rice steaming alongside him and will have performed a easy cross for a tap-in, however he went for objective and was rewarded.
Brighton’s solely actual likelihood of the sport got here when Jorginho was caught in possession (an unlucky function of his efficiency final night time), however an off-balance Simon Adingra put his shot huge when he ought to have scored. Nwaneri picked up a laughable reserving for time-wasting when ready to take a nook and that was mainly that.
Second half
I assumed the introduction of Gabriel Martinelli was tied to the yellow card for Nwaneri, but it surely seems it was as a result of the 17 yr outdated has suffered an harm. “Actually dangerous information“, mentioned Mikel Arteta, extra on that anon. Brighton made a few modifications too as they tried to get again into it.
We had a free kick after Pervis Estupinan produced a wild problem to flatten Rice within the air. For individuals who assume Nwaneri’s reserving was justified, clarify to me how taking a number of seconds over a nook – that the ref can simply add on by the way in which – is extra worthy of a yellow card than this one? From the ensuing free kick, we had an opportunity to attain, Merino sliced huge as Rice delivered a low ball into the field, however in mitigation it’s robust when it’s coming by way of a sea of legs like that.
However then …
The Penalty
I’ll admit I went full circle on this. In actual time, I checked out it and thought ‘How?!’ Then once they confirmed replays, I felt like I couldn’t complain. If an Arsenal ahead headed the ball within the field then a defender headed him, would I need the penalty? 100%. What number of instances have you ever seen them given when a defender is in regards to the leather-based the ball away, however a ahead will get a tiny contact and the defender kicks the person relatively than the ball? It felt like a kind of.
Nevertheless, slow-motion reveals Saliba additionally headed the ball after Joao Pedro touched it, so to punish him for it feels actually, actually harsh. I don’t blame the referee right here, by the way in which. He couldn’t have seen that. This was a job for VAR, however from what we perceive they checked and cleared it in seconds. They didn’t take a look at that gradual movement footage, which is absurd as a result of they’ll take 5 minutes to examine an offside if they need. There’s no closing the secure door on this expertise now, however the very least we are able to anticipate is that they use it to its fullest and on this event they utterly failed to take action.
Arteta mentioned:
I’ve by no means seen a choice like this in my profession. I requested the boys if they’ve and no person has seen it earlier than. Whenever you take a look at the incident, the gap, the participant, Joao Pedro touching the ball and Saliba touching the ball. You’ll be able to see contact there.
Pedro scored, it was 1-1, and you could possibly put that entire incident down on the lengthy listing of issues that occur to Arsenal and by no means, ever to a different membership. Even this season we’ve had this, the Rice and Trossard purple playing cards when the delaying the restart rule was solely relevant to us, they usually have been pricey when it comes to factors. And if the Pedro incident is a penalty, so was the tug on Gabriel within the first half. Irritating, to say the least.
Second half redux
Penalty apart although, this was a really drained second half efficiency wherein we created nearly nothing of notice. There was one shot on course, a Rice effort which was simply saved, and a Partey header he ought to have finished a lot better with, and that was about it. Odegaard got here off his sick mattress to try to make an affect, however regarded like he wanted to be at house with a goblet of Lemsip and a hot-water bottle, and that was as a lot as we needed to supply.
There have been two Academy children on the bench, and a plethora of left-backs. So, whereas I can utterly perceive why we lacked some power (we performed a troublesome recreation on Wednesday whereas Brighton performed two days beforehand and had extra relaxation), this can be a recreation – very similar to the one in opposition to Ipswich – which hammered house the necessity for pressing reinforcement within the attacking third.
The harm to Nwaneri – muscular based on Arteta – compounds our points in that sense. In opposition to Brentford and within the first half right here, we’d gained a participant, however in typical style for this season, we’ve misplaced him immediately. I don’t know but how lengthy he’ll be out however both approach this can be a group of gamers who’re going to actually battle over the course of this month except the membership does one thing to assist them.
Because it stands, we now have Trossard (who was poor yesterday), Jesus, and Martinelli, with the return of Havertz sooner or later however he was too sick to function yesterday. He’s hardly going to be in high form for a cup semi-final on Tuesday. I don’t imply to say we are able to get somebody in earlier than then, however we have to be engaged on one thing asap. This isn’t a case of simply wanting one thing new for the sake of it, it’s an outright necessity as a result of the group badly requires it.
That is the ninth time Arsenal have scored one or none in a Premier League recreation this season they usually’ve dropped factors in seven of these matches.
#BHAARS
— Orbinho (@orbinho.bsky.social) January 4, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I believe we’ve been actually, actually unfortunate at instances this season, however the chilly, arduous reality is that we lack the firepower to beat a few of that ill-fortune. A few of what has occurred is totally out of our management, however what we are able to management is how we construct our squad, and in that sense we’ve been discovered wanting. If soccer is a recreation so typically determined by the fantastic margins, we’ve allowed ourselves to be the mistaken aspect of them too typically, and we now have to do one thing about it.
Even when the Premier League could be nearly unattainable by the top of the day when Liverpool batter Man Utd, we nonetheless have two cups and the Champions League to compete for. That’s not nothing, and it’s incumbent on those that make the selections to offer us the absolute best likelihood in these competitions.
Until tomorrow, after we’ll have an Arsecast Further for you. Have a very good Sunday.
