Four Arsenal Players Undo Teams Consistency Against Monaco

Remember that time we thought Arsenal were finally gaining some consistency? Nine straight home wins and 10 of their last 12 and all of a sudden it looked just like that old Arsenal that was falling all over themselves in the earlier parts of the year.

But should we be surprised? Several times Arsenal have looked set to establish some consistency and each time time they fall flat.

Example 1: New Years Day against Southampton

Example 2: The North London Derby

Example 3: Today

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Which begs the question, do Arsenal have what it take to establish consistency? It’s truly befuddling. This is the same Arsenal squad that had been dominating with their consistency and all of a sudden, it’s all just undone.

What makes it worse is that some of Arsenal’s most consistent players of late were the ones who completely blew the game.

Firstly, Per Mertesacker. He was completely awful. So many bad decisions and he was completely responsible for the second goal. He got absolutely beat up in the air and shied away from far too many confrontations.

And then there’s Mesut Ozil. I remember the mopey Mesut Ozil of old who used to give up the ball and sulk around like a kid not given the gift he wanted on Christmas. That Mesut Ozil came back to play, and his moping was the only thing I noticed of the supposedly “new” German star.

Also, Francis Coquelin. I’m wondering if his magic hasn’t worn off just in time for Jack Wilshere to take his place. Coquelin makes ridiculous tackles and he was lucky not to double up his yellows on the day. He hasn’t lost any physicality, but he has lost some intelligence.

And finally, and most disappointing – Olivier Giroud.

Arsenal FC

Giroud was the subject of a superb article from FourFourTwo about how he is the perfect striker for Arsenal. But completely untrue to his form of late, he was absolutely terrible. Chance after chance missed, including one wide open net where he leaned back and skied it completely over the cross bar.

He was subbed early and received absolutely no welcome from Arsene Wenger when he came off. If Giroud really does have a confidence problem, then I’m afraid of what this performance has done to him.

On the bright side (if there was one), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a fantastic goal, but offset it by being chiefly responsible for Monaco’s third goal.

It’s not an impossible climb. Arsenal play their best with their backs up against the wall. I want to see how Ozil, Giroud, Mertesacker and Coquelin respond this weekend. I also want to see Theo Walcott given a start for once. But then again, as an Arsenal fan, my wants are innumerable at the moment, so I’ll just bite my tongue and wait for the next match.

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