Same old problems

Stoke 1-0 Arsenal

Arsenal left Stoke on Saturday night wondering just how they had managed to lose a game in which they had enjoyed over 70% possession and should have been awarded at least one penalty. Bewildered looks could be seen on the faces of the majority of Arsenal’s players as they boarded the coach for the long journey home but in truth the answer to the question was rather simple. The Gunners’ defence had ultimately let them down.

Arsene Wenger may boast a plethora of fine attacking options, further supplemented this summer by the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette, but for all their fine attacking play, if your side cannot defend then they will become unstuck and end up losing games they really should be winning. Solid defensive organisation is a must for any side wishing to genuinely challenge for the game’s top honours as no team can be relied upon to be at their fluid attacking best in every match. Defensive organisation is what a team will fall back on when things go against them and is what they rely on to grind out results in such circumstances. It is no surprise that since Arsenal last won the league in 2004, strong defensive organisation is something that has been consistently lacking from Wenger’s sides.

The Frenchman switched to a back three towards the end of last season in an effort to improve the defensive side of Arsenal’s game but the decisions he made with regards to the starting line-up against Stoke were somewhat perplexing. With Per Mertesacker back to full-fitness following the head injury sustained in the community shield against Chelsea and Mustafi also fit enough for selection, it was surprising to see Wenger stick with Monreal at the centre of the back three with Kolasinac and Mustafi either side of him. Surely Mertesacker would have been a better option for the central role he occupied so well in the cup final? But with both left backs in the back three, Arsenal lined up with Hector Bellerin at left wing back giving the defence a look of round pegs in square holes.

Against Leicester it was the makeshift defence which had let Arsenal down and almost cost them all three points in a game they should have won comfortably and therefore it was surprising that Wenger did not address this against Stoke when on this occasion he had central defensive options at his disposal. The decision to sell Gabriel to Valencia this week and the assumption that Callum Chambers will also be sold before the transfer window shuts further raises alarm bells if at least one replacement is not signed, suggesting that Wenger is happy to continue to regularly piece defences together with players out of position. 

Given the makeshift nature of the defence it would have been reasonable to assume that at least one of the two central midfielders would be instructed to sit back to protect the defence rather than both being given licence to surge forward in support of the attack. Unfortunately Stoke’s winner arrived as a result of this tendency for both Ramsey and Xhaka to serge forward. Warnings were there in the first half as Stoke appeared dangerous on the break especially with new signing Jesse. Unfortunately the warnings were clearly not heeded at half-time and with the second half barely a minute old, Arsenal were made to pay. Xhaka initially lost possession with a poor pass but rather than holding station to protect his defence, he chased the ball in a desperate attempt to win it back. With Ramsey already up field, this left a gaping hole in the middle of the pitch and with the Arsenal defence exposed, Stoke took full advantage with Jesse playing a neat one-two and slotting the ball beyond Cech with a fine finish.

The Gunners need for an out and out defensive midfielder could not have been summed up better than with the concession of this goal, yet Wenger still frustratingly refuses to address this area of his squad. William Carvalho has long been linked with the club but it appears that he will be moving to West Ham before the close of the transfer window while Arsenal will continue to leak goals due to a lack of protection for the defence.

Arsenal’s attack also came under scrutiny against Stoke as the home side simply retreated in numbers once they had opened the scoring and defended extremely deep. The onus was on the Gunners to break them down and although they did manage to create a few openings, unfortunately the majority of these fell to the wrong person in the shape of Danny Welbeck. The former Manchester United man works hard for the team and gives his all, but finishing is not one of his strongest attributes. Against Stoke he squandered a number of chances including a close range volley which he directed straight at the goalkeeper and a free header in which he managed to connect with the ball with his shoulder rather than with his head. Contrast this to Lacazette who had one chance all game and gobbled it up producing an excellent first time finish to power the ball high into the roof of the net. Unfortunately the Frenchman was incorrectly ruled to have been offside and the goal was ruled out, however his undoubted predatory instincts were clear for all to see.

With Arsenal chasing the game Wenger threw on Giroud as he had done against Leicester and once again Giroud showcased nice intricate link up play but on this occasion he could not salvage anything from the game for the Gunners. Again in similar circumstances to the opening game of the season, Walcott was also introduced from the bench, but once again the Englishman failed to have any impact on the match. It would be interesting to hear the reasons why the manager still persists with a player who in over 10 years at the club has shown himself to be mediocre while a player such as Lucas Perez has barely been given a chance and looks set to be moving on.

At the final whistle, Wenger could bemoan at least two clear penalty appeals, both on Hector Bellerin and another which was slightly more difficult to spot on Welbeck, plus the goal incorrectly ruled out for offside. It appeared to be a day when refereeing decisions went against his side, but in truth Wenger shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind these excuses no matter how genuine they may be. Ultimately this was a typical Arsenal performance from the last 10 years. Despite dominating possession they failed to score and were susceptible to the counter attack, conceding a goal as a result of sloppy defensive play and poor defensive organisation. After Wenger had signed his new contract extension at the end of last season Arsenal fans were promised changes but it appears as though this season will be more of the same.