Arsenal reach Europa League quarter-finals – but glaring issue remains

Arsenal scraped their way into the Europa League quarter-finals, with a nervy 1-0 loss at home to Olympiacos still ensuring they progressed through 3-2 on aggregate.

Go for broke and put on a show knowing a vastly improved defence can contain an admittedly poor Olympiacos side, or keep things tight and suck any enjoyment or life out of the coming 90 minutes and trudge over the line? So long as there was no soul-destroying defeat like last season, beggars can’t be choosers.

With the lineup selected, a midfield base of Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka, who pose as much attacking threat as a furloughed Gunnersaurus, made it evident that this wasn’t going to be a gung-ho approach.

The Gunners were still going to have the ball, partly due to Olympiacos’ unwillingness to press, which meant making use of turnovers and breaks would present enough opportunities. There were, unarguably, more than enough chances.

Arsenal secured their place in the Europa League quarter-finals, but they still suffer from a glaring problem that Mikel Arteta is yet to fix

Generally though, it was sloppy. Passes went astray, communication was lacking and the whole encounter had an air of being a dead rubber Europa League group fixture as opposed to a chance to reach the last eight.

That wasn’t the case for Granit Xhaka and Kieran Tierney, who both weren’t great, but looked dead on their feet even in the first half.

After a soaring victory over Tottenham where there were magnificent performances across the board, opting for a more pragmatic approach in a clash where conceding at least three goals was all that could undo them, the logic is there. Chances will come. Don’t overexert yourself. Just don’t adopt a cocky, arrogant mindset.

Mikel Arteta had to make alterations as he will not be granted such liberties between now and the end of the season.

Arsenal could have scored four just as they could have conceded more. How exactly they didn’t score is remarkable considering the openings they made, while Martin Odegaard should have notched and assist or two in his short time on the pitch.

It was a bad performance. The scoreline isn’t, however, it reads 3-2 to Arsenal and books them into the quarter-finals, where they will now face Slavia Prague over two legs.

There needs to be consistency in the team and Thursday’s display doesn’t build towards that, nor does it make a strong case for any of the issues facing the side being solved: ruthlessness, individual errors and focus problems.

One glaring issue, however, remains.

Arsenal Have a Big Problem on Their Hands – Game Management

This is an issue that while new under certain circumstances, has been a mainstay throughout all of Arteta’s tenure.

Having come to light in the win over Tottenham in which the side collapsed in the final 15 minutes and again against Olympiacos for a similar period of time after the Greek side scored – they lost possession 27 times in the 15 minutes that followed – the issue of game management has moved up the pecking order to the top end of the to-do list.

It’s been a constant concern for the coaching staff; indeed, since Arteta became Arsenal manager only Southampton and Newcastle have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League than the Gunners’ 23 (Orbinho).

The crux of this issue stems not only from a lack of organisation and game management, but also has its roots in ruthlessness. If Arsenal converted the chances they create for themselves, or at least made their dominance count, the whole outlook of matches shift from that point.

Frustration and nerves are a lethal cocktail. All too often Arsenal find themselves drowning in it. Not capitalising on their control breeds vexation, which filters through into restlessness as the opponent grows in confidence at a point where Arsenal’s own dissipates.

Equally, baffling decisions on the ball from certain individuals prise open the already ajar door for the opposition to waltz their way back in. Every issue Arsenal have joins together to form a perfect storm of fear and carelessness, adding to a game management issue and taking it to new and dangerous levels.

Eradicating individual errors and amending poor conversion rates won’t solve the issue entirely, but it will make a considerable difference.

As far as Thursday is concerned, European football is about winning. By all means lose the first leg 3-0 as long as you win the second leg 4-0. Results matter more than performances. However, if the performances aren’t handled better, the results won’t follow.