Arsenal: Is Arteta right about Bernd Leno & Dani Ceballos mistake?

Was Bernd Leno or Dani Ceballos at Fault?

What Leno does when receiving the ball from Gabriel is where the first option is lost. Dani Ceballos has space in between the Olympiacos press to receive and turn, with this turning circle decreasing as the German takes a touch.

He still opts to feed the Spaniard, only this time with the central diamond compressing the space around the midfielder on account for the goalkeeper’s speed of thought. Ceballos calls for the ball, on his left foot, having taken a glance around him for bodies closing in. This is a pass Leno makes when to his right there is David Luiz in acres of space with Hector Bellerin in front of him providing an option down the line.

What Leno does is what is being asked of him: draw in as many opposition players as possible so when the eventual progressive pass is made Arsenal can assume as high a numerical advantage as they can. It’s the rationale behind this style of building play. For that reason, he wants Ceballos to either play it out on the right flank with one touch or likewise back to him so he can move outwards.

It is, by all accounts, a risky pass. Overly dangerous, but one that could have been avoided with finer timing. Arteta states it clearly enough, ‘you know you have to play the ball to this player, but when is the difference’. He wants Leno to play that pass first time, with the weight of ball from Gabriel soft enough to angle a ball into Ceballos. The mistake rests on Leno’s shoulders.

However, Ceballos’ spatial awareness is poor. Seeing his man pressing from behind as well as in front to his left, he tries to be too cute. It’s not the first time. Leno heaped unwanted pressure on him with the timing and pace of the ball but he does himself no favours with over elaborate play.

Playing out from the back is never perfect. No side in history can do so repeatedly without the occasional error. Alisson Becker has been guilty of a handful of uncharacteristic errors this season. Manchester City have also been caught out, albeit briefly. All the manager can do is to minimse the scope for risk to the best of his abilities: coach the timings, positions and structure. If players can’t manage it, then sign new ones.

This style isn’t going to stop. Yes, Leno needs to learn that not every ball has to come with high-risk attributed to it, and there are the kindergarten passes as well as the hospital ones, but this approach has been the backbone of great goals and elegant movements under Arteta’s reign, just as it has been the platform for despair.

While more fine-tuning is absolutely urged, the other two errors on the night were more individual than systematic, so that’s another trait of the team in itself. It’s very apparent more work is needed. A lot more.