Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Wolves: 5 things we learned – What the f***?

By Andrew Dowdeswell

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal looks dejected during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal FC at Molineux on April 24, 2019 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal looks dejected during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal FC at Molineux on April 24, 2019 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 24: Leroy Sane of Manchester City scores his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on April 24, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 24: Leroy Sane of Manchester City scores his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on April 24, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

3. Go watch City’s goals

I have been banging this drum all season. I was banging it even harder after Wilfried Zaha gave Arsenal the runaround on Sunday. And I will be banging it every day this summer. Arsenal need a winger, or two. Desperately.

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If you don’t believe me, go and watch the Manchester City goals from the same evening. Bernardo Silva first drifts into a pocket of space in the right channel, dribbles towards Luke Shaw, feigns to beat him and then drives a shot into the bottom corner. And then for the second, Raheem Sterling brilliantly skips by a defender, turning a benign situation into a clear counter-attacking opportunity.

Sterling then patiently found fellow winger Leroy Sane on the opposite flank, who took one touch and smashed it past David de Gea. Manchester City won because of the individual impact of their wide attackers. Contrast that to the influence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi.

It is not a coincidence that the two best teams in the country have the best wide players in the country. Wingers are crucial to successful attacking play, and Arsenal don’t have any. The loss to Wolves proved it.