Arsenal Vs FK Ostersunds: 5 things we learned – Peak Gunners

3. Absolving blame does not absolve performances

It is difficult to blame any individual for Arsenal’s performance on Thursday night. Such was the collective disarray that infected each and every member of the team, it is not fair to single out any particular player for greater criticism than any other. There was not one player who played well.

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But while, then, by such logic, it may be possible to absolve personal blame because of the corporate blame, it is not possible to absolve the performances themselves. There was not one player who played well.

Defensively, they were open, exposed and vulnerable, making rash positional decisions, taking unnecessary chances with the ball, losing tackles and not tracking runs. In midfield, especially in the first half, they had little control of the game, gifting the ball to Ostersunds time and time again — no player had a pass completion rate of more than 90%. Offensively, chances were hard to come by, and when they did come, the finishing was wide and wayward. There was not one player who played well.

This was just not good enough. Against better opposition, even a three-goal advantage would have been overturned. Arsenal were fortunate, and given the perceived disparity between them and Ostersunds, that is utterly unacceptable. There was not one player who played well.