Arsenal: 5 disappointments of the season so far

3. Poor Decision-Making in the Final Third

Seven games in and Arsenal have only scored five goals. They should have got close to that against Norwich alone.

To many, the season only began once the window slammed shut and the August pre-season matches were over, so in fairness to the positive few, that’s the way this will be framed.

In that case, the decision-making in the final third still stands out as something disappointing. Noticeable against Norwich at the end when the wrong pass or the wrong choice of shot was made, Arsenal could and should have walked away from there at least three goals to the good.

That followed over into the Burnley game where despite being forced to put in a resilient defensive display, the amount of opportunities on the break for Arsenal that didn’t even result in a half-chance was aggravating.

Three points were secured which is most important of all, but the wrong passes in the final action, an extra touch when it wasn’t needed and plain poor final passes in general meant the game was tighter than it needed to be.

Five goals from seven matches is poor. With the attacking talent Arsenal have and better progression from the back this shouldn’t be the case. Everything clicked against Tottenham, and that’s about it.

Getting players into the right areas is the manager’s job. Being smart and incisive in those zones falls on the players.

Continued…