A point a piece in this season's final NLD; a tie riddled with controversy, woeful defending and conservative attacking - leaves Arsenal with it all to do in their hunt for a top four finish. It now requires a favour or two from others for it to actually happen.
Arsenal were by far the better team in the first half, lead by high energy players Ramsey and Guendouzi, whilst supported by the attacking guile of Mkhitaryan and Lacazette. Although, leaving the club's top goal scorer on the bench for the biggest rivalry game of the season is beyond me, the team still started well. Aubameyang should however, been in from the start. He wasn't but the man that did start up top made Sanchez pay for some woeful defending on the half way line. Lacazette controlled well and put through the bombing Ramsey who calmly rounded Lloris and slotted home. 1-0 and a deserved lead at half time.
Questionably, Torreira was also left on the bench but his inevitable introduction did come at half time in place of Matteo Guendouzi. The little Uruguayan got stuck in alongside Granit Xhaka well, and continued to frustrate Spurs in the opening few minutes. The out of position Mustafi then let his team mates down with a needless shove on Kane to gift the hosts a penalty. Replays show however that Kane was marginally offside and the linesman a yard or two behind got caugth guessing at a decision. Not good enough by the officials but equally even worse by Mustafi. It was rash, thoughtless, pointless and completely stupid. The solid looking Leno was again let down by his defenders. Kane stepped up and dispatched the penalty well to make it one all. The Gunners earned a soft looking penalty in stoppage time as Sanchez seemed to have brought down Aubameyang. Harsh on Spurs as it looked cheap but wrong positioning from the defender left the referee with a decision to make. The Gabonese stepped up but Lloris saved his awful penalty. However, the encroachment from Jan Vertonghen was borderline embarrassing but again something else the officials failed to see. What made it worse was that the rebound from Lloris was squared straight back in by Arsenal only for Aubameyang to meet Vertonghen who, by gaining an advantage through blatant encroachment, kept his team in it with a solid defensive block. The game finished a few moments later with both teams probably disappointed but a one each nonetheless.
Ratings and Talking Points
Unai Emery: 6
The man in charge got things wrong at the back in this one. Mustafi managed the right back role fine for most of the game but his carelessness and his capacity to go completely brain dead means that ultimately he is a liability. With Maitland-Niles on the bench, it was a strange decision to say the least. The other baffling decision was leaving out danger forward Aubameyang. He's not the club's top scorer for no reason and although Emery set his side up with a plan in mind, he had to get his star striker in the line up somehow. Leaving out an in form Mesut Ozil is also an issue but one I can more understand, especially as Ramsey came into the side to do a job...a job he executed well.
Beyond the XI though, Emery's changes were just about ok. With the game so tense, it may not have been worth introducing Ozil, as disrupting the shape and organisation for someone who won't get stuck in may have been a bit foolish. But we know the German can change a game in a second and based on his form last time out, he deserved a shot at getting involved. The change of Torreira for Guendouzi was spot on though and the midfield dynamo added some more steel to the midfield at just the right time. Seeing red wasn't part of the plan though. With this, Mustafi's lack of thinking and Aubameyang's penalty miss in mind, the player's let their Head Coach and club down a little in a sense that it was in their hands and their careless mistakes let Tottenham back in. A bizarre take on a starting XI but an average day at the office nonetheless for Unai Emery.
Bernd Leno: 8.5
Shkodran Mustafi: 5.5
Sokratis: 6.5
Laurent Koscielny: 6.5
Nacho Monreal: 6.5
Granit Xhaka: 6.5
Matteo Guendouzi: 6
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 7
Aaron Ramsey: 7.5
Alex Iwobi: 6.5
Alex Lacazette: 6.5
Subs:
Lucas Torreira: 5
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 4
Mesut Ozil: 4.5
Big Bernd Leno
Finding fantastic form at the business end of the season, our German keeper was at the top of his game once again yesterday with more than a save or two. However, one game-defining moment stands out above all; a world class double save to deny Eriksen from five yards followed immediately by stopping Sissoko from inside the area also. Deserved credit for the big German who's surely looking to kick on now and improve even more. It's just a shame his defence let's him down most weeks with costly mistakes, bad errors and complete misjudgments, sacrificing any chance of a clean sheet in the process. In net though, the Gunners are in safe hands heading into next season, and beyond.
Aubameyang Has to Play, Somehow
Unai Emery needs to figure out a way that he can include both his strikers. Besides the foreseeable future in the Europa League where Lacazette is suspended, the two should get as many minutes as possible together in games. Their relationship is unmatched as a two throughout the league. As two natural strikers, that can play together but can also fill other roles to ensure a better shape, they are class. No other top six team can play an out-and-out two striker system and get the same results that Arsenal do. Emery needs to capitalise on this more. Aubameyang's pace and direct running is far too valuable to leave out, whilst Lacazette's unselfish nature and (usually) expert finishing makes him equally as valuable. Two up top, or starting Aubameyang out wide - whatever the shape, get the Gabonese in from the off!
Comments
Post a Comment