The Form
The past five fixtures have seen Arsenal slog their way to four points out of possible fifteen. It’s certainly not champion’s league form. The defence is no longer a shambles, but unfortunately the attack is mirroring their solid, stingy play. Cup competitions have given us slightly more joy. Can we progress for beating the minors of Europa League to beating genuine Premier League opposition?
Tonight, we take on a Wolves side that have won three and draw one of their last five games. The defensively solid, counter-attacking team have established themselves as a quality Premier League team over the relatively short time they have been in the top division.
Gabriel 30 Minutes
The centre back has been a nice addition to the team. He’s strong, fast, and imposes himself on games. William has been less impressive, but tonight he is able make his first goal contribution since the first game of the season. In what, strictly speaking, is the first time Arsenal have scored in open play since October.
A vital interception stops Aubameyang getting what would surely be a tap-in. Bellerin’s follow up cross is deflected out for a corner. It’s taken short to Tierney on the edge of the 18 yard box. He plays it back to Willian to create a different angle for the cross. The winger curls a tempting ball into the box, and it’s Gabriel who rises to meet it and sends it firmly into the corner of the net.
Neto 27 Minutes
Despite Wolves' main danger man, Raul Jimenez, leaving the field, Arsenal find themselves a goal down. They win possession deep in their own half after a tackle on Saka. Without an Arsenal player getting close to them, they keep the ball well and neatly spread it around the field. It finds its way to their speeding locomotive of a winger, Traore.
He runs to the by-line, accelerating in the last couple of strides to gain a yard on Tierney and squeeze in a cross which lands straight on a Wolves head, in the middle of the goal, about a metre out. Waiting for the net to bulge, there’s a brief sense of relief and amazement as he hits the bar. But it’s short lived, Neto runs onto the rebound and clips into the goal. Gabriel got himself back on the line, but he’s off balance and can only deflect the ball as it goes into the net.
Podence 42 Minutes
Arsenal have been reasonably decent since going a goal down, so it’s disappointing to be facing the same deficit again a few minutes from half time. A miss understanding between Saka and Aubameyang sees Wolves defence clear the ball up field. Again, Traore plays a big role as he collects the clearance and clumsily dances his way around Tierney and Xhaka before releasing Neto.
The player has a lot to do and can only fire aimless looking ball in from outside the penalty box. It’s straight at Leno, but it’s a difficult save for the keeper because he is already half on the floor. It bounces off the human backboard and once again a Wolves player collects the rebound and fires it in.
What now?
Instead of seeing a second half full of Arsenal pressure as we push for an equaliser, we get a boring 45 minutes without a shot on target. Average player positions showed Wolves to be more compact than us, maybe that’s part of the reason we couldn’t break them down. There’s a lack of movement in front of opposition back lines resulting in balls being lumped into Aubameyang. It’s not his strength. Is it really our plan?
What’s up next? Sp*rs... Mourinho… potential for disaster. Trust the process. What’s the timeframe? How far was Emery along his timeframe? Our abysmal home record now reads three consecutive defeats with small amounts of Gooners being allowed back in the Emirates soon, let’s hope it breathes some life into our performances.
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