Arsenal: It’s actually not just a forty-five minute game

Arsenal have yet to have a single lead in the first half, so isn’t it time that we figure out how to make the game 90 minutes instead of 45?

Sunday’s defeat certainly was not a critical blow to our top four chances, but if Arsenal are seriously hoping to get back in the champions league next season, we seriously need to start games better.

It’s a bad enough statistic that a team with top four aspirations hasn’t gone in at half time in a winning position in 17 league games, but it’s the manner in which Arsenal are performing in the first 45 minutes that is causing me the most concern.

Whether it’s now become a psychological problem or the team are still learning to adapt to Unai Emery’s methods, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Unai Emery has said on a regular basis that despite our impressive run, there’s always room for improvement. We need to be starting games better but after four months now, the message does not seem to be getting through to the players on the pitch who are starting the game.

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We are slow, indecisive, lack any kind of attacking intent and, at the back, we look nervous. How many times this season can we honestly say that Arsenal are lucky to be going in at half time level or only one goal down?

It’s all well and good being the top scoring team in the second half this season, or waiting for an inspired substitution from Unai Emery. But eventually our luck in that respect was bound to run out, and on Sunday it did.

Emery needs to drive home the message harder that it’s a 90 minute game, not a 45 minute one. The players who start need to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and play to their strengths right from the off.

We are capable of doing it. The first 20 minutes against Tottenham was explosive football and Tottenham looked completely lost. Granted, this was a North London Derby and bragging rights were at stake, but whoever the opposition is shouldn’t determine how our performance is going to be.

If we allow our opposition to play their game to their strengths, we are going to create problems for ourselves. I’m a believer that Emery has had a positive impact on the club this season and will continue to do so.

But if we are striving to be back where we were at the turn of the century then this is a problem that needs to be fixed, especially with our rivals for the top four looking to strengthen their grip.