Arsenal Vs West Ham: 5 things we learned – Gabriel Martinelli, superstar

3. Move the ball

I wrote the following after the loss to Brighton and Hove Albion. The very same comments, though with different players and periods of play, relate to this performance too:

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"“I wrote before the match that Arsenal needed to prove that they can move the ball quickly, both by being direct with long passes from back to front to expose defences and with quick, one-touch combinations to break out of high presses and create openings in the final third. There was very little of that, here. This is not something to pin the blame on particular players. Yes, those passing the ball were ball, especially Sokratis and Hector Bellerin, but they also weren’t provided sufficient options to play forward passes into. Similarly, when the front three did get the opportunity to drive at Brighton’s backline, they caused problems, but they also stood 50 yards away from the ball, meaning that any pass into them was a near-impossible one. In possession, Arsenal played without tempo, speed and accuracy. They invited Brighton to press high up the pitch, invariably failed to play through it when they did, and lacked any semblance of control of the match as a result. It is not a coincidence that when they got going in the second half, they played quickly. The Gunners can do it. They proved it here. But they now must replicate it for 90 minutes.”"

Arsenal simply do not move the ball quick enough. By half-time, they had 65% possession and just four touches in the penalty area. The reason? West Ham were not pulled out of position by the Gunners’ passing. It is a major, major issue.