Arsenal: 12 games unbeaten; now hard work begins

Arsenal have now gone 12 games unbeaten in all competitions after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. But the hard work begins now for the Gunners.

So, not quite 12 in a row. But Arsenal are still unbeaten.

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Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace was certainly one of the poorer performances since August, and you can attribute some of that to playing three games in six days, including a trip to Lisbon in the middle. But the ability to avoid a defeat when the performance was poor should be praised.

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Yet again, the Gunners were let down by a poor first-half performance. And, yet again, they could have been a couple of goals down if Crystal Palace had their shooting boots on. I have said it before but it’s worth repeating: this team is riding their luck and, as British summertime ends, they are entering a month that we always seem to struggle in.

Under Arsene Wenger, the month of November always seemed to bring a downturn in fortunes. And when you look at the upcoming run of fixtures, you can’t help but feel that trend may continue. First up is the daunting visit of Liverpool. And then two of the next four fixtures comprise a trip to Old Trafford preceded by a home North London Derby at the beginning of December. Those extremely difficult fixtures are allied with an away trip to an exciting Bournemouth team and a home visit of Wolves. This will be a real test of how far Arsenal have come under Unai Emery.

One thing that must improve is the slow starts. Unai Emery’s side has been either losing or drawing at half-time in every single league match this season. And again here, they were extremely slow to get going, with Palace controlling the match throughout the first half — and for much of the second half, it must be said.

Moreover, the number of chances being conceded is extremely concerning. Bigger and better teams will snatch up these chances in a heartbeat. As Paul Merson has stated recently, the Gunners could be looking at a real beating.

Defensively, they are still suspect. Admittedly the absence of Sokratis was noticeable, with his organisation and communication integral to the security and structure of the defence. But that does not excuse the number and quality of chances that are being allowed.

Despite the inadequacies, this 12-game run has shown that Arsenal have some real character in the team. They are picking up points for fun currently, but the tests are still to come. Now, the hard work starts.