Arsenal Vs Leicester City: Let’s not ignore problems

Arsenal dismantled Leicester City in the second half in a 3-1 win. But that does not mean that weren’t problems in the first half. They shouldn’t be ignored.

Arsenal were excellent in their 3-1 win over Leicester City. They played with pace and precision, especially in the second half, with great creativity in their passing, some lovely movement off the ball in and around the final third, and scored some truly wonderful goals.

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And after the match, much of the media attention has centred on the brilliant attacking play of the second half. Understandably so. It was breathtaking to watch Mesut Ozil weave his magic, to see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang notch two goals from off the bench for the second match in succession, to witness Alex Iwobi’s control and nutmegging flick.

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But to only focus on the positive attacking play would be a little naive. There were some extremely concerning moments in this football game. Again. Arsenal may have run out comfortable winners, but the defensive problems that were again present should not simply be ignored.

It is not inconceivable that Leicester could have been two or three goals to the good after 30 minutes, had the bounce of ball fallen differently and the referee’s whistle been a little kinder to them. And in his interview after the match, Unai Emery did not shirk the worrying signs of the opening passages of play:

"“It was good in the second half, and we finished well in the first half. We started cold maybe <…> A good result and good goals – the team was only missing the first 30 minutes.”"

Emery’s admittance of the issues in the first half an hour is comforting. At least he is aware of the problems and knows that change needs to be implemented to address them. But as plenty of fans and analysts begin to tentatively discuss potential title chances, it seems to me that most are overlooking the process and solely focusing on the result.

Yes, Arsenal have now won ten games in succession in all competitions, seven of which have come in the Premier League. And yes, they now only sit two points behind league-leading Manchester City and Liverpool. But the results that they have enjoyed are not necessarily a product of their performances.

Emery’s side have been lucky. That is just a fact of the matter. The underlying statistics of the matches prove as much. And as the season progresses, it is the processes and not the results that are far more repeatable, consistent and predictive. The problems that were again present against Leicester — the lack of control in midfield when pressed; the space in the wide channels on the counter-attack; the combination of a high defensive line and a lack of pressure on the ball — will cost Arsenal in the future, even if they didn’t cost them on Monday.

These issues must not be ignored. The results must not paper over the cracks of the process. It would be disastrous if they did. Luckily, it seems as though Emery is quite aware of the danger.