Arsenal Vs West Ham United: 5 things we learned – Flatter to deceive

1. Defensive problems continue

Perhaps the most important task of Unai Emery, in succeeding Arsene Wenger, was to re-structure, organise and discipline the defence. Throughout Wenger’s later years, scoring goals was rarely a problem. With a myriad of attacking weapons provided the freedom to play as they please, this was a creative, but vulnerable, team.

Emery, it was believed, was set to provide stability in defence. And the recruitment in the summer certainly implied that the changes Emery would make would be defensive ones. A new centre-half, a new goalkeeper, a new central defensive midfielder. But this was a quintessential Wenger performance.

The high line, a lack of pressure on the ball, a slow midfield that failed to win second balls and struggled to screen and protect the back four, two centre-backs who looked lost at the best of times, repeatedly scrambling to keep tabs on a mobile centre-forward, two advanced full backs without much wariness of the counter-attack.

It is unfairly demanding to expect the defensive shortcomings of previous years to be fixed within one summer and three weeks of the season. They are far more deep-rooted than that. But the defensive problems that have been present at the Emirates are still there.