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Arsenal 1-1 Leicester City. 5 Things

Monday

1. Nearly Caught Out on a Corner Again!
The Arteta revolution has seen improvements in our structure and the defensive responsibilities, although it would seem corners might not yet have been covered in training. Tonight, the players were using a mix of zonal and man-marking (no problems there). However, they were caught out by a short corner. What makes it so disappointing is that Arsenal were punished by a similar incident at Brighton, only weeks earlier.  You would think the lack of crowd noise would help players, and even staff, communicate clear and present dangers like these.
This one happened in slow motion. There were two Leicester players at the corner and only Saka within close range. The Arsenal man looked around as if to plead for help, but no one came. A simple 1-2 left him helplessly bypassed. Albrighton cut back to an unmarked Iheanacho around the penalty spot. He hits the ball low and hard, it goes through mustafi’s legs but Martinez drops down and makes the save with his legs.

2. Lacazette’s Troubles
Lacazette holds the ball up for fun, literally. He’s constantly battling with opposition and must be Arsenal’s most fouled player. Those are good things, but the rest doesn’t seem to be going well for him. Some strikers have the ability of making goal scoring look easy… at the moment, Lacazette is making it look like algebra with a hangover.
He always gets good contact. It’s like he doesn’t have the confidence to hit the ball with anything less than 100% power. Maybe he needs to start scuffing his shots more. He had a close range header, shot and disallowed goal. Indecently, the disallowed goal was a reactionary side-foot to deflect the ball in, and the saved efforts were carefully blasted at goal.

3. Tap-in for Aubameyang

Any guess who scored? Aubameyang, of course. He’s responsible for so many of our goals this season and his our striker so why not. A strange sort of symmetry with Vardy and our opponents today. Both are pacey finishers appearing to find the peak later in their careers. Scary to think how many goal Aubameyang could score if he had another three years at the club.

For the goal, Ceballos fed a lovely through ball between the full back and centre back. Saka times his run perfectly, collects the ball, shimmies to leave the Leicester defender sitting on the turf. Then squares the ball, cutting out the keeper, and reaching Aubameyang who has a simple tap-in at the back post.


4. Vardy Equalises
It was destined to be an uphill struggle since Eddie Nkeitaih’s sending off. VAR intervened to make sure the younger got sent for a lung. It wasn’t malicious, and it didn’t hurt the Leicester player, but when you lift your foot up that high, you are running the risk of being sent off.
Vardy got the break through from a ball swung in from the right, one of their players makes a poke at the ball, looks like he misses, and it runs thought to Vardy who slots it in from close range. He looked whiskers offside when the cross is hit and then completely offside when their other player makes a poke at the ball.

5. The Missing Duo
It is of course Matteo Guenduozi and Mezut Ozil. One a talented teenager and the other is one of the most gifted footballers Europe has seen in recent times. Guendouzi has been missing since Brighton and Ozil hasn’t been seen since before the COVID break. It’s not a surprise anymore but the longer it goes on the more frustrating it gets.
Does Arteta’s more structured, responsible Arsenal miss them? A floating playmaker and a gallivanting midfielder, neither of which who can hold a position. Doesn’t look like it, but if we are looking for someone to blame for any problems it should be these two. Especially considering the Germans history for undetectable back problems and ability to be tactically unsuitable for almost any game.

 

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