Arsenal Uninspiring in Leeds Stalemate

Arsenal needed to come out on fire, as my father would say in his midwestern accent.

But it is true, we needed to come out hot, aggressive and with creativity. Instead, we came out as we did, and our result, albeit against a very creative Leeds United side, was not what we needed. Arsenal needed three points and an effort that pointed towards the future. Instead, we got a Lamborghini stuck in neutral; and while it is a pretty thing to look at it, it’s more wonderful when it’s in fluid, precise motion.

Yet that was nowhere to be seen and worse still, Nicolas Pepe, already suffering  another disappointing season since moving from France to England, picked up a red and with it, a three-match suspension. Without losing the contest, or picking up a severe injury, it is difficult to imagine a worse match for the Gunners. However, hope remains and the only way to get out of a tough spot is to work with more vigor towards that end.

Misfires Happen, but They Must Be Covered By the Play of Others

This, much like in Goodison Park up north with Everton, has been a real struggle all season. Without the prime forces of the usual cast at Arsenal, we have failed to see others step up, to see them shift into those positions when the times are toughest. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been hot and cold so far this season, with more instances of the latter than the former. Alexandre Lacazette too has appeared both tentative, as well as out of form during his time on the pitch this year as well.

Meanwhile, young Gabriel Martinelli is still out with the knee injury he suffered last season, and as has been discussed to no end, neither Willian nor Pepe has played on the right wing to the standard that we need at the Emirates. Two of our youngest and best contributors other than the aforementioned, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka, are both still maturing into consistent and considerate players; while it can be frustrating to wait for that maturity, it must be understood.

But with inconsistent, subpar or injured wingers, who is helping our either Aubameyang or Lacazette on a consistent basis?

This type of play is an innovation that will have to be found far sooner than later, and while we can escape against weaker opponents, we will never be a reasonable contender for the Premier League without more contributing pieces. And while some exist in the team already at other positions – Thomas Partey certainly a player of real quality – injuries and the time it takes to settle into English football also slow the pace of which Arsenal can grow and develop at.

There is time to right this draw however, and luckily for Arsenal, the schedule becomes so constant and challenging that it might be easy to simply forget and move on to better matches and performances.

The Gambit Gets No Easier for Arsenal

Winning right out of the gate is preferable to struggling going into, as well as out of, the second international break of the young season. Having failed to secure more than a single point from the encounter with Leeds, the match against Molde will have to be a sincere warm up for the team before they host Wolves. Rapid Vienna travel to London as well, before we go across the north of the city to face Tottenham, a match against the first place club in the league as it stands currently.

Dundalk follows in the Europa League, before three domestic matches against Burnley, Southampton and Everton all come within a nine day span. These bursts of games are not easy on the players or the clubs and so, escaping the Europa League group stages – in the top portion of the table but this point – just days until Christmas, is something to hope for. But if we are there at that time, it will be because we found innovation in the lifeless segments of our current team.

And that could be on the right wing or even centrally, perhaps the midfield from Partey, Dani Ceballos or continued form from someone like Joe Willock. In any event, the final stretch of four games that ends visiting West Brom, and which includes the Carabao Cup quarter-final against a smarting Manchester City, will obviously help to determine whether all four trophies will be available to the team moving through January.

The Premier League games will do likewise. Without strong performances against all of those opponents, Arsenal will have to rely firmly on domestic cups and Europe for further hardware this season.

I think that we have the potential to go far in four competitions this season, but only our play with prove me one way or the other. It will require a consistent team effort, not simply a cabal of players whose talents can outshine most on an average day. Mikel Arteta can get the most out of these players, it is simply taking time, yet time is not on our side currently, and so compromises in that regard, will have to be made.