Arsenal Vs Cardiff City: When do players take responsibility?

In all four of Unai Emery’s first four games as Arsenal manager, defensive problems have reigned. It begs the question: When do the players take responsibility?

It’s fair to say that, in the first four games of Unai Emery’s management at Arsenal, the defensive problems that persisted throughout the latter years of Arsene Wenger’s reign have not subsided. It would be unfair to assume that Emery cannot fix these problems. He is two months and four matches into his tenure. But their presence is nonetheless concerning.

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The fact that the infamous defensive vulnerabilities that have scuppered the progress of this team for so many years still remain does beg a rather troubling and damning question: When should the players take responsibility?

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Under Wenger, it was clear that the system he employed did not help his defensive players. Two high-flying full backs, a midfield that was geared towards possession and not protection, a team’s identity that revolved around scoring goals, not stopping them. This was not a manager who provided the necessary structure and discipline to allow his defensive players to flourish. Rather, he exposed them.

But that is not quite the same under Emery. Although there are still elements and details that have not been fully understood or mastered, which is inevitable given the short period of time that the Spaniard has had to work with this new crop of players, there has been a clear improved overall shape and structure to the team, especially without the ball when the opposition has clear and safe possession.

Now, there have been problems against the counter-attack and from wide positions. Clearly, there is still much to be learnt. But the work is clearly being put in. And yet, the defensive vulnerabilities still remain. So, then, maybe it is time to thrust more blame onto the players, rather than the system, the shape or the managers?

Take the two goals against Cardiff City, for instance. The first comes straight from Granit Xhaka passing the ball straight to a Cardiff player, neither Mesut Ozil nor Hector Bellerin closing down the cross, Nacho Monreal losing a header and then being unable to turn to block the effort from the loose ball. And the second is straight from a freekick in which Aaron Ramsey is trying to mark a centre-half and no one is marking Danny Ward.

Neither of those things is the fault of Emery — he may have instructed the specific zone for Ramsey to defend at freekicks, but it is up to the players on the pitch to make the necessary adjustments depending on the approach that the opposition is taking with that specific set piece. That is the players’ responsibility on the pitch, between the white lines, where the manager has no impact.

As this season unfolds, I am increasingly finding myself questioning the overall quality of many of the Arsenal player. Are they actually as good as I first believed them to be? And the defensive problems are very much a part of that. Initially, it was Wenger to blame. But now there’s a new man in charge and the common denominator is the players. Perhaps that tells us something.