Arsenal: 3 negatives from huge West Brom win

Arsenal crushed West Brom 6-0 on Wednesday night as Mikel Arteta’s side briefly put their Premier League woes behind them as a first Carabao Cup second round fixture for 26 years ended with smiles all around.

With Manchester City to come on Saturday an entirely different test awaits. The reigning champions have enjoyed a mixed start to the campaign but still welcome the side managed by their former assistant coach as the unanimous favourites.

The Gunners couldn’t have asked for a better performance in the build-up, however. Seeing the goal-shy captain rediscover his shooting boots with a hat-trick, keeping a clean sheet and watching on as two debutants put in equally solid outings was the ideal remedy.

Spirits needing peeling up off the floor and the packed away stand who made the journey north on a Wednesday night had to have something to cheer about. That journey isn’t a kind one, scoreline notwithstanding.

3 negative aspects for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal as his side crushed West Brom 6-0 in the Carabao Cup second round with an Aubameyang hat-trick

Good thing all went swimmingly well and goals were finally scored in the right net this time.

So, then, why on earth is there anything negative? Huh? How could scoring six goals, conceding none, and having individual displays to herald prompt anyone to think differently of the result?

Like a good Florida condo, there has to be a temperature gauge. Rightly everyone is basking in the delight of the highest scoring away win since 2001 and the biggest victory under Arteta’s tenure, but that doesn’t hide that there were elements that could be improved.

Against opposition that Arsenal had to be beating comfortably, that first half showed that there is work to be done.

1. Slow Build-Up Play Out From the Back

West Brom started this match exactly how you’d have expected them to under Valérien Ismaël. His sides, no matter how youthful the personnel, press high and aggressively looking to force errors and convince the opposition goalkeeper to kick the ball long.

Arsenal may be trying to add variance to their game with Aaron Ramsdale’s arrivalo, but the onus remains on building out from the back.

And as seen in the first half, this is still too slow.

There were too many players taking uneconomical touches of the ball, failing to release in time and guilty of not being positive enough in possession.

Rob Holding, Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac and Mohamed Elneny were all culpable, among a few others, with the obvious benefit being that only one of those four are going to be starting matches for the club when the whole squad is fit.

Again the predictability of switching to a back three and then focusing on the left side came into play. Such was the lack of invention during those opening stags that Saka had to drop deep and take Tavares’ place just to inject some drive and technical craft in those areas: collecting balls on the half-turn, beating men and carrying possession. It took Saka being Saka, as well as a lucky bounce, to break the deadlock and settle Arsenal.

Arsenal need to maintain tempo, which is precisely why Ben White was signed.