My Arsenal FC

With Arsenal’s midfield bereft of players with defensive skills and more important defensive output, I was somewhat surprised that Arsenal and Wenger sanctioned the sale of their one midfield option who actually possessed proven skills in that area, Francis Coquelin.

Coquelin could best be described as a front footed aggressive tackling midfielder who was also very effective at pressing opponents to force interceptions.

On the ball, he was a very accurate passer, averaging 85% passing accuracy during his time at the Gunners. The only criticism that could be level at Coquelin was his lack of transitional output (1.5 accurate long passes per game and 0.8 forward dribbles per game). That said, Wenger’s slow possession hoarding attacking approach and desire to have his side compress the game into the opponent’s final third, effectively denied Coquelin the opportunity to display any transitional skills.

Coquelin was undoubtedly a victim of playing in a system of play that failed to accentuate his strengths (pressing, tackling, interceptions) and exposed his weaknesses (creative passing). Funnily enough though Coquelin’s strengths actually make him well suited to playing in a side whose manager, like Wenger, likes to compress the game into the opponent’s final third. Unfortunately though Wenger doesn’t value or require his midfield (or even Arsenal’s wing backs) to actually contribute defensively Rather, Wenger places the side’s entire defensive onus on Arsenal’s centre backs, whether it be two or three. As a consequence Coquelin was frequently overlooked and undervalued, despite being Arsenal’s most productive midfielder defensively.

His departure from Arsenal is definitely in Coquelin’s best interest and I expect him to thrive at Valencia under Marcelino, who sets up his side to aggressively press opponents. I wish him all the best in the future.

Freddie08

_{Another humiliating defeat for the Gunners, who were again porous in midfield and impotent in attack, thanks in no small part to poor tactics and team selection.}

_{In terms of the individual performances of Arsenal’s players during the clash:}

_{GK: Cech}

_{Not much Cech could have done about either goal. Overall he was solid as usual.} 

_{RWB: Bellerin}

_{An aggressive tackling display by Bellerin (6 tackles). That said, he struggled positionally (1 interception) and again failed to cut out the crosses from his opponent Daniels. Offensively, the Spaniard was again very poor (despite the goal) with no forward dribbles and just 2 attempted (and inaccurate) crosses.}

_{RCB: Chambers}

_{A relatively quiet day defensively for Chambers as Bournemouth channelled most of their attacking play down the opposite flank. Consequently, Chambers didn’t have many tackles (0) or interceptions (2) to make/win. That said, when required to defend he was no nonsense in his approach with 6 clearances and he was strong aerially when called into action (4 successful aerial duels).}

_{CB: Mustafi}

_{A sensational defensive performance from the German with 4 tackles, 3 interceptions, 9 clearances and 11 successful aerial duels. By far and away Arsenal’s best on ground.} 

_{LCB: Holding}

_{Unlike Chambers, it was a busy day defensively for Holding, as Bournemouth seemed to target him and Maitland-Niles. Despite the volume of traffic, he was very good with 3 tackles and 3 interceptions. Aerially he was also strong with 3 successful aerial duels. My only criticism of his performance is that he should have cleared the ball more when under pressure rather than attempt to play out from the back under those circumstances.} 

_{LWB: Maitland-Niles}

_{An underwhelming defensive performance by Ainsley (2 tackles and 1 interception) as his opponent Smith beat him via the dribble on at least 4 occasions. Offensively he was solid if unspectacular with 2 successful forward dribbles and 3 attempted (albeit inaccurate) crosses.}

_{RCM: Xhaka}

_{A poor defensive performance from Xhaka (1 tackle and 1 interception) as he struggled to stop his opponent Gosling when he surged forward. Offensively, Xhaka’s passing accuracy (83%) was again very good, though he wasn’t creative or risky enough with his passing (1 unsuccessful attempted through pass). That said, he showed some goal scoring intent though his shooting accuracy remains a problem (0 out of his 3 shots were on target).} 

_{LCM: Wilshere}

_{A bad defensive effort from Wilshere (0 tackle and 1 interception) as he failed to put any sort of pressure on his young and inexperienced opponent in Cook. Offensively, his passing accuracy dipped (80%) from his usual high standards and like Xhaka he wasn’t creative or risky enough with his passing (just the 1 unsuccessful attempted through pass for the match). Jack did though show some goal scoring intent but his shooting accuracy let him down (0 of his 2 shots were on target).}

_{RCAM: Iwobi}

_{A good performance from Iwobi, who registered a nice assist for Bellerin’s goal and had 2 shots for the match, one of which was on target. He also recorded 2 attempted through passes, one of which was successful and his 82% passing accuracy was also good.}

_{LCAM: Welbeck}

_{Wenger’ experiment of playing Welbeck as a LCAM failed again. Welbeck again provided a very limited goal threat (only 1 attempted shot for the match), attempted no through passes and his passing accuracy was a poor 71%. Another selection bungle by Wenger.}

_{CF: Lacazette}

_{Yet another difficult match for Lacazette as the likes of Bellerin, Xhaka, Iwobi, Wilshere, Welbeck and Maitland-Niles again failed to create clear cut goal scoring opportunities for him. As a Les Gones fan it is sad to see how Wenger is completely mismanaging him and failing him tactically.} 

_{With Alexis on the precipice of jumping ship and Wenger continuing to fail both tactically and with his recruitment and team selection, it baffles the hell out of me how an ‘elite’ sporting organisation like Arsenal is happy to not only turn a blind eye to the root cause of Arsenal’s issues (i.e. Wenger) but is happy to allow the source problem to spend more of the club’s funds on misguided transfers. For me, logic would dictate that Arsenal should address its quintessential footballing problem first (i.e. replace Wenger) and then back the future manager’s forays into the transfer market to best implement his tactical vision for the side.}

Freddie08

The stats and images referenced in this post are sourced from http://www.whoscored.com.

A surprisingly attacking display from Chelsea which led to the game being more stretched vertically than I had anticipated.

In terms of the individual performances of Arsenal’s players during the clash:

GK: Ospina

Arguably Arsenal’s best on ground as he displayed his shot stopping skills to great effect (stopping 5 shots on target). Despite the plethora of Chelsea crosses, he handled them with assurance.

RWB: Bellerin

A quiet day for Bellerin defensively as his opponent Alonso, failed to dribble at the young Spaniard or attempt any crosses. Alonso was able to attempt 3 shots on goal though, 1 of which was on target. This was reflective of Bellerin’s struggle to track Alonso when he cut in field. Offensively, he was very poor with no forward dribbles and just the 1 attempted (albeit inaccurate) cross.

RCB: Chambers

A relatively quiet day defensively for Chambers too, as Hazard struggled to influence the game (only 2 successful dribbles, 1 (off target) shot on goal, and 1 accurate through pass). Consequently, Chambers didn’t have many tackles (2), interceptions (0) or aerial duels (2) to make/win. What really impressed me with Chambers’ performance though was his no nonsense approach to defending which was reflected in a whopping 9 clearances.

CB: Mustafi

Another solid albeit passive performance from Mustafi. His defensive positioning was very good, which was reflected in his 3 interceptions for the match, he took a no nonsense approach to his defending with 9 clearances and he was strong aerially with 5 successful aerial duels (to Morata’s 1). My only criticism of his performance was (like in his previous match versus Chelsea) his lack of aggressiveness. He was too passive in his defensive approach which allow Morata opportunities to strike on goal on at least 3 occasions (one of which was on target).

LCB: Holding

Like Chambers, it was a relatively quiet day defensively for Holding, as his opponent Drinkwater really struggled (only 1 successful dribble, 2 (off target) shots on goal, and 0 accurate through passes).  While his defensive positioning was solid (2 interceptions), Holding could have been more aggressive in his defending when Drinkwater did venture forward (0 tackles). Aerially he was solid (2 successful aerial duels) though not particularly challenged.

LWB: Maitland Niles

An underwhelming tackling performance by Ainsley (0 tackles for the match), as his opponent Moses dominated him (4 shots (2 of which were on target), 1 successful dribble, 4 crosses). Positionally he was okay with 2 interceptions but his defensive unsuitability to the left wingback role Wenger has shoehorned him into was again evident. Offensively he was poor with just the 1 successful forward dribble and 2 attempted (albeit inaccurate) crosses.

RCM: Xhaka

Great defensive positional play from Xhaka (3 interceptions) but he struggled to stop his opponent Kante when he surged forward (1 tackle). Offensively, his passing accuracy (83%) was very good, though he wasn’t creative or risky enough with the ball (no attempted through passes). He did though show some goal scoring intent and accuracy (1 out of his 2 shots was on target). However, he needs to shoot more frequently.

LCM: Wilshere

Not quite as good as Xhaka, but Wilshere’s defensive positioning was still solid (2 interceptions for the match). While his opponent Fabregas wasn’t particularly influential (1 shot on goal, no dribbles and no attempted through passes), Wilshere needed to be more aggressive in his defence (0 tackles) to unsettle his opponent. Offensively, his passing accuracy (93%) was fantastic and his through pass to Lacazette was beautifully weighted. That said, he offered no threat on goal (0 shots) and overall he wasn’t creative enough with his passing (just the 1 attempted through pass for the match).

RCAM: Iwobi

A good performance from Iwobi, who has come in for a lot of unfair criticism in recent weeks. Both of his shots were on target and he had 3 forward dribbles for the match. His 86% passing accuracy was also very good, though like his midfield colleagues, he failed to show any real creativity with his passing (no attempted through passes for the match).

LCAM: Welbeck

Welbeck was about as useful as tits on a bull (as the saying goes). Offered very limited goal threat (only 1 attempted and off target shot for the match), attempted no through passes and made just the 1 forward dribble. His passing accuracy (83%) was his only saving grace. A poor choice by Wenger.

CF: Lacazette

Another difficult match for Lacazette as the likes of Bellerin, Xhaka, Iwobi, Wilshere, Welbeck and Maitland Niles again failed to create clear cut goal scoring opportunities for him. The only exception was Wilshere’s beautifully weighted through pass, which the Frenchman should have at least hit the target with. I have a feeling he is regretting joining the Gunners (at least while they are being managed by Wenger) and not waiting for Atletico Madrid’s transfer ban to expire.

Another match in which Arsenal’s midfield and wingbacks struggled to create clear cut goal scoring opportunities for Arsenal’s centre forward, despite Chelsea’s attacking ambition. Defensively, the midfield continues to be porous and the back line again struggled to assert their presence when required to absorb pressure in their own half. But for Ospina and some poor finishing from Chelsea, this could have been another humiliating defeat for the Gunners.

Freddie08

The stats and images referenced in this post are sourced from http://www.whoscored.com.

An entertaining match for the neutral but another disappointing outcome and performance by the Gunners. Arsenal, who appeared to adopt a 4-2-1-3 setup, dominated possession and field position but their attack was once again blunt with Arsenal’s goals coming from a scrappy goal mouth scramble following a corner and an error from the Nottingham Forest keeper.

In terms of the individual performances of Arsenal’s players:

GK: Ospina

There wasn’t much Ospina could do to prevent either of Forest’s penalties or Lichaj’s volley and he wasn’t helped by Wenger’s decision to play two slow central defenders and employ a high defensive line.  To that end, the Colombian did come up with a couple of fantastic saves to prevent further humiliation for the Gunners. That said, Lichaj’s opening header acutely exposed Ospina’s aerial weakness.

RWB: Debuchy

Debuchy wasn’t particularly challenged defensively as his opponent Clough rarely dribbled at him. In the few instances Clough attempted to cross the ball from Debuchy’s flank, the Frenchman’s positioning was very good and he was able to intercept the ball. He was unlucky with the penalty call as replays showed he got the ball first. Offensively, he needed to be more aggressive with his dribbling (1 for the match) and while his crossing intent was great (6 attempts for the match) none of his attempted crosses were accurate.

RCB: Mertesacker

Attempting to play a high line with Per’s lack of pace was always doomed to fail. While his positioning at times was okay (2 interceptions) and Forest channelled most of their attack down the left flank, Per’s lack of speed meant he was a virtual bystander when Forest’s attack drew him into action. On a positive note, he was very strong aerially and he took his goal well.

LCB: Holding

An aggressive tackling display by Holding (4 tackles for the match) who was kept very busy by Forest’s striker Brereton (5 attempted shots, 4 of which were on target). While his tackling was aggressive (and in the case of the penalty he conceded, too aggressive), his positional play was poor (1 interception) and that he failed to adjust his defensive positioning to account for his lack speed relative to that of his opponent. Holding, like Per, was another victim of Wenger’s decision to play a high defensive line, despite his evident lack of speed. Aerially he was quite strong with 4 successful aerial duels.

LB: Maitland Niles

Another aggressive tackling performance by Ainsley, with 3 tackles for the match. Positionally he struggled as he was beaten by his opponent Cash on at least 3 occasions which led to dangerous crosses, one of which resulted in a goal to Lichaj. Offensively, he was very strong with 3 successful forward dribbles and 5 attempted crosses. That said, much like Debuchy on the opposite flank, Ainsley’s crossing accuracy let him down with none of his attempted crosses reaching an Arsenal player.

RCM: Elneny

It was a poor tackling performance by Elneny (1 tackle for the match) but his defensive positioning (3 interceptions) was very good. Offensively, his passing accuracy (95%) was exceptional but he failed to offer anything in terms of forward dribbles, through passes or attempts on goal.

LCM: Willock

A very poor defensive performance from Willock, both in terms of his tackling (1 tackle for the match) and positional play (0 interceptions for the match). His poor defensive performance resulted in Dowell having a substantial influence on the game. Offensively, his passing accuracy was almost perfect (98%), though he, like Elneny, offered nothing in terms of forward dribbles, through passes or attempts on goal.

CAM: Iwobi

A solid performance from Iwobi, who showed good goal scoring intent (3 shots for the match), made some nice forward dribbles (2 successful dribbles) and attempted Arsenal’s only through pass for the match, which ultimately resulted in Welbeck’s goal. His passing accuracy (85%) was also very good. Unfortunately, his shooting accuracy (0/3) continues to let him down.

RW: Walcott

A strong showing from Walcott. He showed plenty of goal scoring intent (3 shots for the match), tried to provoke danger with 4 forward dribbles and completed 83% of his passes. Like Iwobi though, Walcott struggled with his shooting accuracy (0/3). In addition, he needed to be more creative with his passing (no attempted through passes).

CF: Welbeck

A battling performance from Welbeck who got limited accurate service from the likes of Debuchy, Walcott, Elneny, Iwobi, Willock, Nelson and Maitland-Niles. His goal was good reward for his hard running in the lead up. That said, he needed to adapt his game in order to offer more of a goal scoring threat when it became evident Arsenal’s midfielders and fullbacks were in effectual at creating opportunities for him (only 2 attempts on goal for the match). Aerially he was very strong with 5 successful aerial duels for the match.

LW: Nelson

Was Arsenal’s best player on the field. His forward dribbling was excellent, with 6 successful dribbles for the match. His passing accuracy was also excellent (87%). My only criticism of his performance was his lack of goal scoring intent (only 1 off target shot for the match) and his lack of creativity with his passing (no attempted through passes for the match).

With the systemic issues plaguing Arsenal this season, it wasn’t a total shock to see Nottingham Forest get the win. That said and what was most concerning about Arsenal’s play in this match and in recent seasons, is the lack of clear cut goal scoring opportunities Arsenal have been creating and the team’s reliance on possession of the football as their defensive strategy (as opposed to actual defending). Until Wenger addresses those tactical issues and deploys players with complimentary skills to implement his desired tactics, I fear more bad results are to come.

Freddie08

The stats and images referenced in this post are sourced from http://www.whoscored.com.