Slavia Prague vs Arsenal: Europa League progression in Arteta’s hands

Arsenal finally got back to winning ways at the weekend as they defeated Sheffield United 3-0 at Bramall Lane, with the result providing a timely boost ahead of Thursday’s crunch Europa League meeting away to Slavia Prague.

Of course, claiming all three points against a relegation-threatened side will do little to appease the club’s increasingly disgruntled supporters, and Mikel Arteta remains under huge pressure to achieve cup success to compensate for a dismal domestic campaign. However, while our European status currently lies in peril, there is still plenty the boss can do to secure his side’s progression to the semi-final.

One obvious area for improvement following last week’s display would be to abandon our cautious set-up and adopt a more attacking approach. Whether it was due to the pressure of the occasion, a dearth of confidence after recent results or merely a bad day at the office, the Gunners were extremely conservative during the first-leg encounter and afforded far too much respect to their Czech opponents.

Despite the uninspiring nature of the performance, Arsenal still exposed the visitors’ unconvincing backline on occasion and fashioned some fantastic opportunities thanks to their poor defensive distribution, with only a frustrating lack of quality at key moments denying us a comfortable lead for the reverse fixture.

Can Mikel Arteta use his managerial acumen to ensure Arsenal progress to the Europa League semi-finals by beating Slavia Prague?

At the Emirates, Arsenal demonstrated their ability to create chances even when far from their best and, considering how they will arrive in Prague this week armed with the away goal threat, the manager has all the encouragement he needs to set his team up on the front foot.

Selection choices and in-game management are other important aspects of the second-leg clash that Arteta simply must get right. The Spaniard drew criticism in these departments in the first leg when he decided to omit some star-studded attacking options and instead start the often-pilloried duo of Willian and Alexandre Lacazette, while his questionable faith was undermined by the latter’s inexplicable miss just after the hour mark.

Many were also left baffled by the timing of his substitutions as our first change was only introduced in the 73rd minute, and our noticeable improvement in the game’s closing stages, as well as the combination between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe to break the deadlock, suggests his tardiness to remedy was partially responsible for the disappointing outcome, with greater proactivity needed if we are to lift the trophy in Gdansk.

There can be little argument that this season has been an unmitigated disaster for Arsenal and the pressure on Arteta will probably not disappear even with a win at the Sinobo Stadium.

However, many around the club want fans to continue to ‘trust the process’, and winning crucial games like against Slavia Prague are essential in convincing us to do just that.