Arsenal’s cracks exposed as Stoke City jinx remains in tact

Arsenal once again suffer away day blues with another loss at Stoke City as Mark Hughes gets another one over Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal suffered yet more away day misery at the Britannia on Saturday as they went 1-0 down to Stoke City in the EPL.

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Defeat though, was hardly a surprise given that Arsenal had only won once at Stoke City in the last seven seasons – you can make that eight now.

To say that Stoke has become something of a jinx to Arsenal wouldn’t be far from the truth – whether it was Tony Pulis at the helm, parking the proverbial bus on the line and lumping 70-yard hoofers down the field – to Mark Hughes’ more stylish attempt – Arsenal can’t abide this trip up north.

New signing, Jese Rodriguez, was the standout performer for Stoke after only arriving earlier in the week on loan from PSG.

The Spaniard played like a man on a mission, providing an excellent link between midfield and up front; his physical presence gave an Arsenal centre back line, that consisted of the minute Nacho Monreal, Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac, problems throughout.

Wenger will deem his side unlucky though, and indeed expressed the team’s misfortune during the post-match press where he bemoaned decisions that went against his men.

On a day where Stoke’s keeper, Jack Butland, was the man of the match, the Gunners should’ve had two penalties and were also within their rights to be irritated when a thunderous Alexandre Lacazette goal was ruled out for offside – on another day the outcome of these key incidents could have be been oh so different.

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However, to consider themselves unfortunate shows a club in complete denial.

On a week where they have allowed Gabriel to go to Valencia and supposedly given Mustafi the go-ahead to speak to Inter Milan, the Gunners are in real danger of annihilating an already depleted defence.

And if transfer talk isn’t just the idle murmuring of bored journalists, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could also be on his way out of the club, with Chelsea the apparent suitors for his signature.

Wenger has continued with his policy of shoe-horning the Ox into a position where his impact on the game is minimal, and so it was seen again, against Stoke, where he was stuffed into the wing-back role.

Surely a better option would be to bid farewell to Theo Walcott, who’s never amassed to anything more than potential in the 11 years he’s been at the club.

Exactly what Wenger thinks he’s doing is anyone’s guessing, and I for one have long since given up trying to analyse the decisions of the frustratingly bewildering French man.

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The result at Stoke was a disappointing one, but not the end of the season; no that will happen in approximately six games time.