Lacklustre Gunners Lucky to Share Points with Brighton

LACKLUSTRE GUNNERS LUCKY TO SHARE POINTS WITH BRIGHTON

Coming off a stunning performance against Tottenham, hopes were high and it was believed that ‘The Process’ had finally broken through. Away at the Amex isn’t the easiest of fixtures, yet Arsenal should be able to hold their own regardless.

No Xhaka, No Stability:

In all honesty, a couple of weeks ago I would’ve preferred to start Sambi over Xhaka. Due to Xhaka’s injury, we finally got to see this combination of Sambi and Partey: but oh boy did we miss Xhaka. As soon as Brighton pressed up and suffocated the space in the midfield, the Arsenal system seemed to collapse. Personally, I would’ve liked to see the introduction of Maitland-Niles to see if he could shake things up. The game was calling out for someone who could sit on the ball and pull the strings. One thing is clear however: Xhaka can’t come back quick enough.

Centre Back Partnership:

Another clean sheet, making it 3 in 4 games. Gabriel and Ben White are forming a terrific bond in the heart of the defence. The combination of their aerial prowess and stability on the ground makes them a formidable duo, blocking and clearing anything that enters the box. Another brilliant showing.

Alternative Play Style:

This match had me thinking; if Arsenal get pressed like we did against Brighton, what do we do next? It seemed as if the Gunners were submissive in possession – on goal kicks, on free kicks, in free play. Bombing long balls down the pitch and crossing the ball in when Brighton’s back three is Lewis Dunk (6’4), Shane Duffy (6’4) and Dan Burn (6’7) cannot seriously be deemed an effective strategy. If we face a stronger opponent who can press us like Brighton, there is no chance that we walk off the pitch with anything even remotely symbolising a point.

Does Help on the Wings go Both Ways?

Countless times we have seen our full backs bomb forward to assist the wingers in attack. But do the wingers return the favour? Against Chelsea, Kieran Tierney was constantly overloaded by Kai Havertz and Reece James, yet the winger at the time (Bukayo Saka) didn’t track back to help out. Similarly, today Takehiro Tomiyasu was overloaded constantly, and quite frankly, Cucurella gave him hell for the full 90 minutes. However, it was Saka again who failed to track back and level the numerical playing field. With a target man striker up top, the wingers can afford to drop back more, and it would be helpful to see it happen.

Aaron Ramsdale:

Oh my days. Full disclosure: I was livid when I found out that Arsenal paid nearly £30m for this man, but now I cannot get enough of him. Commanding in the air, sturdy between the sticks and even pulled off an impressive parry to deny Neal Maupay a 3 yard tap in – just brilliant goalkeeping.

Where to From Here?

Currently sitting 9th in the table with 10 points and a game in hand over many other clubs, we have a 2 week break from the Premier League, returning with Palace at home. No more than 4 days later, we face Emi Martinez and Aston Vills. After that? Leicester. It is certainly an important stretch of games to see just how well we can do this season.