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| SPORT: 3 Things Arsenal Needs To Consider Before Clash With Chelsea To Gain Unai Emery’s First Win (#3 is very Important) |
It was never going to be an easy start to his tenure in north London. Unai Emery is still searching for his first win as Arsenal head coach after an opening-weekend loss to the champions, Manchester City. And now he takes his team to Stamford Bridge to take on an intriguing and potentially potent Chelsea team under the alluring, mercurial and utterly fascinating Maurizio Sarri.
Here are three things to consider prior to Saturday evening’s tantalising, ambiguous affair.
3. City are ridiculous
City are ridiculous. Everyone knew that prior to Sunday’s loss. Before the season started, City’s odds to win the league were at 5-8. Everyone knew they were amazing, so it is unfair for TV pundits and ex-players to come out against Arsenal and Emery. Almost any team would have lost in that scenario.
To put things into perspective, Chelsea were dismantled 2-0 a week before the Premier League season by City in the Community Shield. And then, a week later, their performance against Huddersfield Town suddenly changed the narrative completely.
City are much more talented than Arsenal right now; they are much better organized right now and, for that, we shouldn’t put too much weight on the first game of the season. However, it is not an excuse for some of the things we saw. This team has a lot of improving to do from now until the next month and beyond, starting on Saturday against Chelsea.
2. The Granit Xhaka problem
There are times where nothing more needs to be said, all you need is to bring up someone’s name and we all know what is coming next. Granit Xhaka, a player I have defended in the past, is a player I can no longer defend.
Xhaka needs to be dropped. In part, it is his own shortcomings. He is so careless with the ball, his lack of athleticism is criminal, he cannot tackle well and he does not have defensive instincts. And in part, it is because there is someone on the team who will be perfect in his role instead.
Let’s start with the first part. Xhaka is frustrating because there are some games where we see the talent but often only remember those five passes that go straight to the opposition. From looking at the statistics, Xhaka’s passing percentage is no worse than the other Arsenal players. Yet, when you watch the game, the passes that he does miss are crucial because they directly lead to chances by opponents or kill an attack.
Previously, Xhaka brought creativity and aggressiveness to the midfield, and so the mistakes were forgiven somewhat. But against City, he disappeared. So did a lot of players, but that is not the point. The point is that playing the central midfield position is key to any team because it connects defence with attack. Xhaka’s lack of control and orchestration led to a team that was utterly disconnected from back to front. This is where his competitor excels.
As far as first impressions are concerned, Matteo Guendouzi made quite the first impression. Yes, there were some mistakes and things he could improve on, such as closing down Raheem Sterling a little better for the first goal. But you can’t hate on the youngster. He was always on the ball, always putting a hand on the opponent to make them uncomfortable.
In many ways, Xhaka should be a polished version of Guendouzi, a player who is able to use intelligence to be physical when needed and make opponents uncomfortable, a player who is careful with the ball in his own half and expressive with it when further down the pitch, a player who is both creative and controlling.
Guenduzi demonstrated elements of that; Xhaka did not. Xhaka looked more like a raw version of Guenduzi, not the other way round. Perhaps it’s time for a switch.
1. Lacazette needs to start
For this first month, I will be protecting Emery’s decisions in all my pieces. He deserves at least that much, patience and trust, from all of us. However, seeing the impact Alexandre Lacazette had when he was introduced in the second half against Manchester City, I hope Emery will choose to find a way to play him.
In certain ways, despite wearing the number nine shirt and played as the lone centre-forward, Lacazette was excellent in a linking role. He dropped back into the centre of the pitch and provided an option for the midfield to play off, his touch was neat and tidy, he was strong on the ball, and he provided a focal point for the attack to build on. Although he also missed one of the best chances Arsenal had at goal, I still think his impact was more positive than negative.
My main criticism of Lacazette is his lack of pace with the ball. However, that is where Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang comes in and why it seems like they would be a perfect match to play next to each other. Aubameyang has the searing speed to piece defence’s in the channels in behind; Lacazette is a more nuanced, sharper striker who will jink his way into space off the ball, rather than simply running by a defender.
Emery is definitely getting a feel for this team. I hope he continues to make adjustment ahead of the trip to Chelsea as he better understands his players, the shape he wants to play, and the execution level of the squad. Lacazette, for me, should be one of those changes. We will have to see if Emery agrees or not.
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