Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsenal Vs Brighton: 5 things we learned – It gets worse

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 05: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on December 05, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 05: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on December 05, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 05: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal and Hector Bellerin of Arsenal look dejected after loosing the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on December 05, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 05: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal and Hector Bellerin of Arsenal look dejected after loosing the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on December 05, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

4. Stand up and be counted

Under Unai Emery, the players had an excuse for their lacklustre performances. Whether it was a genuine reason or not was up for debate, but they certainly leaned on Emery’s incompetence to protect their own reputations. Now, just two games later, that protection has been removed and their efforts laid bare.

The Arsenal players must stand up and be counted. This was not a tactical defeat. They did not lose because they are worse players. They had the quality and the coaching to win this match, as proven by a strong first five minutes and an excellent 15-minute period in the second half. They lost this game because they did not work hard enough.

Simple things. Marking players. Pressing the ball. Tracking runners. Playing good, hard passes. Providing options off the ball. Arsenal did not do the basics well; Brighton, on the other hand, were superb in this department. It is time for the players to stand up and be counted.