At least twice this year I wrote about draws that felt like a point gained: City and Everton. Twice I lamented dropped points: Leicester and Tottenham. Now has come the third time to bemoan the latter and I don't at all feel like doing it. Needs must, though, so here comes.
The squad
The squad
Given Koscielny's injury and Chambers's suspension our back four was predictable: Bellerin, Mert, Monreal and Gibbs. There were rumours Hayden could have started and, taking Monreal's performance into consideration, it probably would have been better for all parties concerned if Isaac did just that. However, our CB sustained an injury (of course he had) and thus didn't even make the bench.
Of all defenders only Bellerin deserves some praise and this in itself tells you a lot about how our defense fared. When a 19 year old, who starts his first Premier League game, becomes the only bright spot, questions need to be asked.
I get it Gibbs may have been exhausted after his game for the national team, but he also wasn't our worst performer on the day, despite clearly being caught out of position for their second. Instead, the heart of our (last year's rock-solid) defense was at fault for both goals. Mert failed to position himself for the second goal, allowing Hernandez to easily head past him and Monreal was nowhere to be seen when Diame scored his first (albeit controversial) goal.
Further up field Wenger stuck with Flamini and I wish he didn't. I already said Arteta is the better passer of the ball and this could have made the difference, especially in the second half, when we were desperately pursuing the equaliser. Further up the pitch we had a predictable duo of Wilshere and Cazorla. Both weren't overly convincing.
Welbeck and Oxlade started up top, which was not surprising, but Alexis did likewise, something I didn't expect, as the Chilean played two full games for the national team, the last finished on late Wednesday. And thank God Sanchez started.
The first half
We kicked off in good fashion, peppering Harper with shots during the first 15 minutes. The goalie saved every single effort on target, but we kept probing and were rewarded in the 14th minute. Sanchez dilly-dallied his way through the defense and fired an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner. We looked in full control of the situation and the goal was only logical.
However, our joy at being in front didn't last long. Diame ran right through the middle as if our defense just wasn't there, pushed Flamini off the ball and chipped Szczesny. Did Diame foul Flamini? Yes, he did, even Steve Bruce admitted it after the game. But, while we can point the finger of blame at the ref to some extent, we ourselves failed on two basic fronts: cover the central defense and play to the whistle. Monreal was nowhere to be found, Flamini gave up too easily.
But did we respond? Hell no. We seemed deflated and completely disinterested. The only player who tried hard and made things happen was Sanchez. Even with him and third- choice stopper between the sticks (Harper got subbed for Jakupovic) we failed to trouble the keeper from 43rd minute to 86th. Needless to say, we didn't get anything out of the first half.
The second half
I was late for, like, twenty seconds and the first thing I saw? Right, Hull's goal. In a typical Arsenal fashion. A cross from the flank (Gibbs, where was Gibbs?!), Mert lost Abel Hernandez and the guy headed home. 2-1 down in a game we should have been comfortably winning. In front of our own fans.
But did it fuel our inner rage and spark us into life? Hell no. It felt like we were going through the motions, right up till the 86th minute.
It was the minute Monreal said to himself "F*ck it, I'm not losing it" and, not giving Gibbs so much as a cursory glance, bombed forward down his beloved left flank. He crossed, and it was our first dangerous cross of the game. Alexis met it with a thumping header, but Jakupovic saved.
Thankfully, we found that equaliser in the 91th minute. And Alexis was the man who did all the work. He danced his way through 3 players and played a perfect pass into Welbeck's path. The Englishman's finish was composed.
We could have probably nicked the win in the dying seconds, but both Monreal and Oxlade failed to connect with the ball properly on the volley, while Cazorla and Gibbs saw their respective efforts blocked by Jakupovic. 2-2 it finished.
The aftermath
I haven't seen our fan base so dissatisfied since our home loss to Villa last year and they have every reason to be: our performance was so much below expectations. The worst thing was how it was obvious we lacked passion and desire going forward in the second half. No one (apart from Sanchez) seemed to care we were on course to lose the game and this is genuinely scary.
This inability to break down defenses (whatever the reason), coupled with our make-shift back four led to yet another draw. In a game we should have won comfortably.
The sticking point was how unmotivated the team looked and this is the instance where the buckle stops with the manager. It's Arsene's job to ensure the players produce and if they don't, it's his fault and his alone.
Unfortunately, I see no immediate way out, no rescue. Can Arsene leave? He surely can, but if he steps down right now, we'll be in a real mess. A new man will need time to adapt and we cannot afford to lose any more points because of yet another transition period.
Can Arsene step down at the end of the season? He can, but will he, even if the team underperformes? We all know how Arsene stays till his contract expires, something that'll happen in only three years time.
The way I see it, Arsene has to stay and do his best to get the maximum out of this group of players. Because I genuinely think that this crop is capable of far better results. We played some great football last year and we were without Sanchez, Welbeck or Chambers back then. So Arsene should try as hard as he can to fuel this side to better achievements this year and if he fails by the end of it, he should step down. The boss always said how he will leave when he understands there's nothing more he can give to this team and I hope he keeps his word.
That's it for today. Back tomorrow with a preview for the game against Anderlecht.
Until then
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