game report – Player Rating – Arteta reaction – video
I half expected the first half of yesterday’s game to be our hardest. Playing for just three days against a team that had 10 days rest after a midweek Champions League game, it wouldn’t have been surprising if we were a bit lackluster. And we did, but it was almost night and day compared to what happened after the break.
Considering the chances we had to score, it was the early moments that made me regret this morning. After Everton had their only chance in the 7th minute, we really started to gain the upper hand. Great work from Myles Lewis-Skelly and a fine ball from Mikel Merino gave Martin Odegaard a good chance, but the ball went skied over the crossbar. A few minutes later the captain showed some nice quick feet to create a chance for himself on the edge of the box, but he dragged the ball wide when Jordan Pickford was rooted to the spot.
Some fine work from Saka on the half hour mark gave Odegaard another chance. Perhaps it was a chance he should have done better. But the Everton defender made a very good block and the ball bounced just over the bar. There were some different moments here and there, and it wasn’t funny at all, but it made sense as a precursor to the second half as we ‘warmed up’, and it’s a story we’ve seen before.
The second period started off well. Odegaard’s cross was headed by Kai Havertz, and Saka’s volley was well blocked by Pickford. It only lasted two minutes, but unfortunately that was about it. We struggled to break down a stubborn Everton team, and I think it’s clear now that a team that does this to Arsenal is likely to frustrate us. That’s a game plan many teams use because it’s effective, by the way, but right now it feels like our Achilles’ heel. We don’t have the tools to unlock aspects when they do well.
It’s tricky to find a balance between Arsenal being really poor yesterday (we were) and Everton executing that game plan well (they were), but for me at least it’s much closer to the former than the latter . We found it impossible to increase the speed and intensity of the game. Only Saka provided the ability to make explosive runs and beat some men to give us some momentum. Other than that it was flat. It’s the football equivalent of nursing a flat car to the garage and listening to the horrible sound of flapping rubber all the way through.
I said in the preview yesterday that I thought the bench would be important for us in this game. Because the dynamics of midweek and freshness will come into play. As a result, we needed it, but we really didn’t. If anything, what Mikel Arteta did as a substitute made it worse for us. Removing Rice and Odegaard right after the hour mark didn’t help. It would be entirely justified if he had to leave Rice out due to injury, but his ‘tactical’ decision to play Ethan Nwaneri in the Norway squad was a bad one. I don’t think Odegaard was at his best yesterday, but he was in combination with Saka and we were worse when he left.
Arteta doesn’t make many tactical mistakes, but this was one. Nwaneri struggled to get into the game. He only touched the ball 10 times in about 30 minutes, most of which he seemed to come right out before disappearing completely. I don’t think his positioning was quite right, but it was a problem the manager could have quite easily solved on the sideline. I’m as excited about him as anyone, but I don’t think Arteta made the right decision with that change. Why not try Odegaard and Nwaneri, and replace the more functional Merino, especially when goals are needed?
When you’re at home dominating territory and possession, do you need Jorginho and Thomas Partey to exchange wall passes on the halfway line? Could it have been possible to sacrifice a defender, temporarily move to a back three, and bring in another attacker? Gabriel Jesus came along and fell so deep that he basically disappeared. Leandro Trossard did not improve on Gabriel Martinelli and posted another poor performance against a veteran full-back who should have been tested more. And once again, there was no sign of Raheem Sterling when we needed a goal. Games like this are not uncommon. The ‘best team’ has to somehow find a way to win, but if you have basically unusable players on your bench, life becomes much more difficult.
Like the Fulham game last week, this match as a whole and some of the individual matches make it clear that January is now very important for this team. Yes, we could have created more chances early on, but it was disappointing to get through the second half without causing Everton any major problems. This is not an unfamiliar scenario, how often have you seen a case where you build real offensive momentum in the last 15-20 minutes and everyone asks ‘Why didn’t you play like that from the start?’
We couldn’t do that yesterday, and I don’t think it was due to lack of effort or application, but because we lacked something ‘extra’ that this team desperately needed. There is room for something different, if you want to call it individualism or something, and I see at least one addition to the front line as soon as possible being absolutely necessary. Despite all the warnings, including that January is a difficult market, it is possible if you have the will and resources. Lack of output due to too many offensive options should set off alarm bells internally.
We get 0 from Sterling. Jesus has now scored one goal in his last 33 games for the club. Trossard and Martinelli are fighting now. Havertz is a player I like, but will never be prolific. Only Saka has the numbers you need from a player who can help lead you to the title. But we need at least one more number, but none of us can make a difference on days like yesterday. I saw Josh Kroenke at the game yesterday. I hope that’s as clear to him as it is to everyone else. Because there is a limit to how long a player can hope to perform well. At some point, you’re going to have to give them a call. We have at least two people, maybe three, who need to ring the bell.
Afterwards, Arteta said:
I was very disappointed. Because if we do what we did today against them, we have to win the game. But in the end, this is soccer. That’s the hardest thing. It’s the last 20 to 25 meters to do what we need to do. It’s also thanks to them how they block shots, Jordan Pickford’s saves, the way they defend, their desire to defend. But honestly, it’s difficult to ask the team anything else. Can we individually do things better, deliver higher quality and deliver magical moments? If so, it is absolutely necessary, but it is not easy.
I agree. It’s not easy. However, if you keep trying to pound nails with a foam hammer, the job will become more difficult. Now is the time to get serious about this team. The summer transfer window wasn’t enough to improve us (or even maintain our level). And if we let January pass us by, there will be more days that frustrate us like yesterday. And I’m full of regrets.
Until tomorrow.
