Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Rennes: 5 things we learned – Second-half shocker

By Andrew Dowdeswell

RENNES, FRANCE - MARCH 07: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal looks towards his manager Unai Emery as he leaves the pitch after receiving a red card during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Stade Rennais and Arsenal at Roazhon Park on March 07, 2019 in Rennes, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
RENNES, FRANCE - MARCH 07: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal looks towards his manager Unai Emery as he leaves the pitch after receiving a red card during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Stade Rennais and Arsenal at Roazhon Park on March 07, 2019 in Rennes, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Sokratis, Unai Emery
RENNES, FRANCE – MARCH 07: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal looks towards his manager Unai Emery as he leaves the pitch after receiving a red card during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Stade Rennais and Arsenal at Roazhon Park on March 07, 2019 in Rennes, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

Arsenal travelled to France to face Rennes in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Europa League. Here are five things we learned from the 3-1 defeat.

After half an hour of Thursday night’s first leg Europa League Round of 16 clash versus Rennes, I was quite confident about Arsenal’s chances of qualifying for the Europa League quarter-finals. They had a one-goal lead thanks to Alex Iwobi, were controlling the game away from home, and looked capable of scoring more. And then. Capitulation. A red card. A thumping equaliser. A calamitous second-half with crumbling players and ineffective tactics. This is the Arsenal we all know and hate, returning to roost. And now they have a mountain to climb.

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Here are five things we learned from the 3-1 defeat.

RENNES, FRANCE – MARCH 07: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal is substituted for Sead Kolasinac during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Stade Rennais and Arsenal at Roazhon Park on March 07, 2019 in Rennes, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
RENNES, FRANCE – MARCH 07: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal is substituted for Sead Kolasinac during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Stade Rennais and Arsenal at Roazhon Park on March 07, 2019 in Rennes, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

5. Lacazette exposes Aubameyang’s limitations

One thing that Arsenal struggled to do throughout was break away from the high-pressing Rennes defensive scheme. Largely, this was due to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s inability to hold onto the ball when it was played into his feet.

Granted, this is a difficult job, one that only some of the very best strikers in the world have the ability to do, but in the modern game, especially when playing with a lone centre-forward, as Unai Emery is seemingly intent on doing, it is critical that the centre-forward has the touch, the physical presence, though not necessarily size, and the wherewithal to hold onto the ball and bring others into play.

Sadly for Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette is excellent at it, and it is noticeable how much Arsenal struggle to play through the lines when Aubameyang is playing centre-forward, not the Frenchman. Aubameyang is a terrific goalscorer, that much cannot be denied, but when he is making the net ripple, what else does he offer the team? The answer is not a positive one.