Arsenal: Why defensive mistakes more costly than offensive ones

Arsenal have made 29 individual errors leading to goals since the start of the 2017/18 season, the most of any Premier League side. Here is why they are more costly than their offensive counterparts.

In last weekend’s North London Derby, Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka made another costly error. Hurtling into a slide tackle, he scissored the legs of Hueng-Min Son and conceded a stonewall penalty. Harry Kane did not hesitate to slam his finish into the side netting.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Oh my, Granit Xhaka

Since that dreaded error, the debate among the fan base has very much centred on Xhaka and the defensive errors that he and his teammates have a painful propensity of making. Why do they happen so frequently? What is the cause of them? For how long will the attack have to bail the team out?

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

As a part of this discussion, LTArsenal posted a question on Twitter (the tweet has since been deleted): If a striker was to miss an open goal, would they be criticised in the same manner that a defender would be criticised when they make a silly defensive error that leads to a goal, as Xhaka has in the aftermath of his egregious slide challenge? At the heart of the question is this dichotomy: Why is a defensive mistake more costly than an offensive one?

There is some logic here. Surely, a mistake that costs a goal is detrimental to the team in an equal sense, whether it be an attacking one or a defensive one. I am sure you can see where this line of thinking stems from. But to judge the value and impact of an attacking player or defensive player purely on goals is to sometimes miss a nuance of these different roles.

You see, the most important trait for a defensive player is consistency. The whole point of being a defender is to stop goals. And for that, you have to be consistent, because any mistake can lead to the exact thing you are trying to prevent.

Conversely, attackers are there to create goals. As a result, being inconsistent, while sometimes frustrating, is not as detrimental to their overall value. You may miss an easy chance, but if you then create or score a goal with a moment of brilliance, you still provide value to your team. Inconsistency, therefore, does not negate success.

And this is where Arsenal really fail. Individual, their defenders have very positive moments and performances. Even Shkodran Mustafi had matches in which he looked like an extremely capable central defender. But they then scupper all their progress with silly mistakes. As an attacker, you can still help your deal in spite of these mistakes. That is not the case as a defender.

So for Xhaka, Mustafi, David Luiz and the rest, the 29 individual errors that they have committed leading directly to goals are absolutely criminal. That is the real reason why the Gunners defence has been so poor.