An all round abysmal performance from Unai Emery and his players lead to an extremely disappointing and frustrating one-nil loss that also saw Alex Lacazette see red for a swinging elbow. Emery got his team wrong which wasn't the best start by any means but the players themselves continued on with the same wrong approach and lack of application and invention. BATE were never going to trouble us through attacking football; their route to goal was always going to be the odd counter or through set pieces. And they delivered on the latter pretty well with a headed goal flying over the diving Petr Cech on the stroke of half time. A thoroughly underwhelming first half capped off with an equally disappointing goal for BATE. A stupid foul given away by Xhaka, poor marking from Kolasinac and not great goalkeeping from Petr Cech meant going into the break behind, again. Half time should have been the perfect opportunity for Emery to grill his players and stick a rocket up their backsides...
It didn't happen. The second half was as bad as the first, if not worse. The lack of imagination and creativity was evident for all to see. Players passed sideways and backwards waiting for something to happen. It never did. There was nowhere near enough runs and movement to spark a play or create space. Players were far too static, expecting things to happen just because they were a better team. BATE proved that deep sitting and organised defending could mask the little threat that Arsenal posed. Even the introduction of fresher legs in Torreira then later Suarez and Aubameyang didn't change proceedings. Arsenal's play up until the final third was ok - good enough to win the game. But the atrocious display of movement, creativity and finishing - or lack of, in the final third showed that without an Ozil or a Ramsey in the team, they just aren't good enough.
Player Ratings and Talking Points
Unai Emery: 3
The Head Coach kicked things off badly with a needless back three formation. A flat back four and another attacking midfielder in the centre of the park would have done the job, as BATE were never really going to threaten through on the floor football - which they unsurprisingly proved. Setting up with either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-2-1-2 would have allowed for more potential creativity with another attacking body in midfield. If Aubameyang was fit enough, he could have been the body to come in up top and with a diamond behind, it would have encouraged more creativity, chances and one would hope, goals. Emery needs to learn that his team aren't good enough to win games without the best players (and even then it can be a little suspect) so if Aubameyang is in the squad then he should have started. Start well, go two or three up and pull those off that need the rest. It's basic man management focusing on a strong start rather than a rushed and desperate finish...which never came anyway. Far too many times this season, Arsenal have relied on a strong second half performance to get the job done but against BATE it wasn't to be.
Emery has become so known for tinkering, sometimes too early on, but like last night, his changes came too late. There doesn't seem to be any kind of game plan, as performances generally go the same; start badly and get better leading to a strong finish - so why some games does Emery change things at half time, then other games not until the 70th minute? Seems clueless, completely random and unstructured. Surely his reasons for change are always the same, so why let woeful individual (and team) performances go on for so long? If an attacking midfielder, especially, hasn't done much inside an hour then hook them for the final thirty and allow someone else a chance. This season has proved that generally that theory works, or works well enough which really makes last night seem even more odd. Odd, frustrating and completely disappointing.
Petr Cech: 5
Shkodran Mustafi: 4.5
Laurent Koscielny: 5
Nacho Monreal: 5
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 5
Granit Xhaka: 3.5
Matteo Guendouzi: 4.5
Sead Kolasinac: 3
Henrikh Mhkitaryan: 3.5
Alex Iwobi: 3
Alex Lacazette: 3.5
Subs
Lucas Torreira: 4
Denis Suarez: 3
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 3
Ozil or Ramsey; Either is Essential
The need for someone who can naturally create from midfield could not be greater. Whether its from central areas, out wide or in a dyanmic or fluid role, Ramsey and/or Ozil is a must for every XI going forward. How long can Emery let each game go without thinking 'I need a creator here?' It's baffling. He watches the same games we do - surely he sees the need for a conductor who can deliver under pressure. Two good strikers go long periods so isolated because there's no connection between midfield and attack. It cannot go on.
Against a Minnow, Why Waste a Player in a Back Three?
Three at the back has proved to work for the football club's current crop of players (under Wenger and under Emery) in big games. Chelsea three times, Spurs and Liverpool all come to mind. But why waste a player (one that's not even a centre back in Monreal) in a needless position? Shift Monreal to left back in a flat four, ensuring a little more defensive responsibility compared to that of Kolasinac, and play another attacking player in midfield. BATE deployed one up front and were always going to do so, even at home. Surely the man who watches hours and hours of opponent footage new that?! The goal came from a set piece, besides that every other sniff BATE had could have and have been handled by a back four and a holding a midfielder. Having another attack minded player in midfield or upfront would have added another dimension and creative brain that we so desperately craved. Against these smaller, one-striker teams, the negative outweighs the positive in all instances where a back three is concerned. Clean sheets don't happen with three at the back so why not truly line up to outscore the opponents with another attacking player?
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