Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video
Effectively, this November is popping out to be a basic of the Arsenal style, as we suffered one other defeat, happening 1-0 to Inter final night time.
We began the sport in shaky trend. Denzel Dumfries completely rattled the bar with a shot, earlier than they fizzed one other one huge within the opening 4 minutes. Issues settled down a bit then, even when a few of our defensive choice making was uncharacteristic. You hardly ever see William Saliba and Gabriel go for a similar ball, however on one event they did, just for the house aspect to not take advantage of the chance.
There wasn’t a substantial amount of risk from our first half efficiency, it felt like extra of the identical after Newcastle on Saturday, though there was a shout for a penalty when Mikel Merino was clearly caught within the face by Yann Sommer who didn’t seem to get any of the ball. VAR checked, VAR moved on in a short time, and I believe Inter bought a bit fortunate there.
Luck is one thing that’s brief provide for us proper now – and I do know, you make your individual luck and so forth and so forth, however it felt typical that simply earlier than the break Inter bought a penalty for handball in opposition to Merino. You see these given in Europe on a constant foundation, however I simply don’t see how that must be a penalty. The ball deflects onto his arm from ridiculously shut vary – what’s he purported to do? It’s not whilst if he’s blocking a shot, however the referee pointed to the spot, and Turkish Bruno Fernandes put them 1-0 up.
Mikel Arteta wasn’t completely satisfied about both choice, saying afterwards:
in case you’re going to provide a penalty within the different field, clearly that one needs to be as a result of he punches him within the head.
No matter the way you may really feel about our efficiency, I can perceive that frustration. There was a half-time change, Gabriel Jesus approaching for Merino, and I believe we had been fairly a bit higher within the second 45. I’m not a fan of TNT Sport commentary at the most effective of occasions, particularly that zany gimp Fletch who makes all of it concerning the ‘bantz’ with the ex-players he was alongside him, however I didn’t actually agree with their rivalry we had been horrible within the second half.
Once more, I don’t assume we had been sensible, or close to our greatest, however we had been actually so much higher than we had been in opposition to Newcastle, and we dominated proceedings for probably the most half. Recreation-state might have performed an element as Inter had been completely satisfied to defend, however we had all of the ball and all the possibilities. Sure, Inter rested a few of their key gamers from the beginning, however introduced just about all of them on within the second half and it didn’t change a factor.
Arsenal had 13 pictures to Inter’s 1 after the break, creating 1.3xG to their 0.05xG (in case you’re into that type of factor), and we did have possibilities. Gabriel flicked a Bukayo Saka header goalwards solely to see it cleared off the road; Kai Havertz – our greatest participant on the night time for my part – pressured Yann Sommer into an important save after he curled a great shot in direction of the highest nook; and Havertz once more was denied by a superb block when he turned and shot from shut vary. The ball deflected simply huge, which is kinda typical of the best way issues are going for us proper now. One other night time it goes the opposite aspect of the submit, and we’re speaking a few respectable level away from house in opposition to an excellent workforce.
So, we had been undoubtedly improved, however in the end not adequate to get the objective I believe we deserved. You couldn’t assist really feel that regardless of the dominance an excessive amount of was lacking. Gabriel Jesus was vigorous however supplied no objective risk, Leandro Trossard had one other a kind of performances the place he was nicely under his finest, and it fell to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to fireplace in crosses from huge areas which Inter dealt for probably the most half. Their centre-halves and wing-backs made a complete of 38 clearances on the night time.
We had dominance, however not sufficient craft or creativity. I believe you need to acknowledge it’s very laborious to interrupt down an Italian aspect at house, and this Inter aspect are Italian champions who’ve but to concede a objective in Europe this season. I additionally assume the best way they celebrated on the finish was instructive, as a result of they knew they had been beneath the cosh – at very least when it comes to territory. They might barely get out of their very own half.
Nonetheless, it doesn’t alter our have to do extra when we’ve got that a lot possession. Ethan Nwaneri got here on with about 10 minutes to go, and had one glorious flip and shot from the sting of the world, however once more you had been questioning what may need been with a bit extra time from him. Folks have talked about how he hasn’t performed as a lot as they’d have favored within the absence of Martin Odegaard. The skipper made a short cameo final night time, and it was good to see him again, however there’s an enormous a part of me that wonders what Nwaneri and Odegaard working in tandem appears to be like like. If you’ve tried different gamers, and various techniques, they usually haven’t actually labored, what else is there?
Once more, Raheem Sterling didn’t get off the bench, and also you don’t want a PHD in Mikel Arteta to learn between the traces there. The previous couple of video games have advised us what the supervisor thinks of him proper now, and it’s a problem we’ve got to assume strongly about addressing in early, early January.
Afterwards, Arteta spoke positively of how his workforce carried out, however stated:
The truth is the end result and we participated in that as a result of we had many conditions that we will resolve significantly better in entrance of objective and rating not less than two objectives, after which extraordinarily annoyed as nicely as a result of there are two choices that on the finish marks the end result and the course of the sport.
So, you might be completely satisfied sufficient with the dominance – and maybe annoyed by the referee’s choices – however in case you can’t convert that into objectives, you have got a reasonably important downside. It’s one we’ve bought to repair shortly, as a result of Chelsea on Sunday shall be one other powerful away recreation, and the very last thing we want is 2 weeks of introspection as we go into the ultimate Interlull of 2024.
The glass half-full outlook this morning is that we had been improved on how we performed in opposition to Newcastle, however that was a really low bar. The workforce seems like it’s enjoying, to make use of an previous favorite, with the handbrake on a bit, and Arteta has to discover a method to launch that forward of Sunday.
Proper, I’ll depart it there. We’ll discuss concerning the recreation in a bit extra element in an Arsecast which shall be developing for you a bit afterward this morning, so persist with us for that.
