Arsenal: 4 talking points from 2-2 Crystal Palace draw

Well, the Premier League was back for Arsenal and it massively underwhelmed. After a great start in which captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave the Gunners the lead with just seven minutes played, from then on, Arsenal was by far the second-best side on the pitch.

Crystal Palace looked to be on course for a deserved 2-1 win after goals from Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard. Both came from midfielders being dispossessed, with Thomas Partey the first to be sloppy on the ball before the Belgian striker fired home.

Pushing for a winner, it was Sambi Lokonga’s turn to get caught in possession as the Eagles broke with pace before Edouard smashed an effort down the throat of Aaron Ramsdale and in off the crossbar.

Hoping to spark a late comeback Mikel Arteta threw on Alexandre Lacazette to try and give Arsenal some presence in the Palace half, and the Frenchman arguably left as the Gunners’ man of the match.

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4 talking points as Alexandre Lacazette salvages Arsenal a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League

Lacazette snatched an equalizer with the last kick of the game after a goalmouth as it ended 2-2 at the Emirates.

But make no mistake about it, Arsenal did not deserve anything from this match. They were played off the park at times as Palace was comfortable in possession and forced a timid Arsenal into several mistakes. Two of which resulted in goals.

A crestfallen Patrick Vieira will rightly feel gutted. His side deserved to win.

As with any match, there are plenty of talking points. Here they are from Arsenal’s draw with Crystal Palace.

1. Alexandre Lacazette Must Start From Now On

The Frenchman came on in the 67th minute as Arsenal looked as toothless as they ever have been, replacing Martin Odegaard who simply could not get going at all. The Norwegian was a ghost.

As soon as Lacazette stepped onto the pitch, the Gunners transformed into a team that looked like getting the winner. Until Edouard netted Palace in front, that is.

Lacazette’s link-up play with Aubameyang, Emile Smith Rowe, and Pepe was a driving force in how Arsenal managed to snatch a point. He provided presence in the opposition half and gave Arsenal a tool to build attacks through.

Given how he performed and what he brought to this Arsenal side, the 30-year-old has to be given a starting birth from now on. This is the second match in a row where he’s had a positive impact off the bench.

He brought so much more to the team in his half an hour cameo than half the side did for the entire 90 minutes.

Continued…

2. Thomas Partey Needs a Genuine Central Midfielder Next to Him

When the team sheets came out it looked as if Arsenal were going with a 4-3-3, and in the opening exchanges with Partey as the sole anchor and Odegaard dropping deeper to effectively form a double pivot, it seemed to work well: Arsenal started on the front foot and got a deserved goal. However, once Palace got a foothold in the game, it was glaringly obvious that a change needed to be made.

Too often the midfield of Palace which included James McArthur, Conor Gallagher, and Luke Milivojevic played through the Gunners with ease, which then left the Arsenal rearguard exposed several times. The spaces either side of Partey were vast.

While fans dislike Granit Xhaka when he is in the side, you can feel and see his absence when he is out of it. It makes Arteta’s decision not to bring in another quality central midfielder in the summer window even more baffling. Or, to play one of the other ones he has.

Albert Sambi Lokonga was brought on at half-time, which was a disaster, to be honest. Both are essentially the same player, and the tandem did not work at all. Something has to be done, whether it is finding another player to partner Partey or a switch in formation as tonight, the midfield was dreadfully exposed by a lesser Palace unit.

Partey doesn’t get off free either, he was awfully wasteful.

Continued…

2. Mikel Arteta Has No Plan B

The Gunners started the game well, controlling possession and on the front foot before Aubameyang’s goal just seven minutes in.

After that, Palace grew into the game and pushed Arsenal around. On their home deck, mind you. All control evaporated and sloppiness crept in everywhere.

Arteta on the sidelines looked bereft of ideas as to how to curtail Palace’s dominance. With the players that were on the pitch, Arsenal had the better quality of talent, but Arteta was out-coached by a manager who he is thought to be superior of.

It was clear that Arteta did not have a Plan B to try and stop what Palace was doing and his blushes were spared thanks to Lacazette’s last-second equalizer. The structure of the play is limiting and for a manager with so many exciting attacking options the inability to create chances (of any variety) is deeply concerning.

This game raised more questions than it answered and Arteta will have to put some serious work in post-game with Aston Villa to come on Friday. It is worryingly becoming a theme now with the Spaniard, as it was a full-strength team at his disposal that got well beaten by a very good Palace side.

There are no excuses.

Continued…

4. What Did Arsenal and Arteta Do in The International Break?

Many thought that having no European football and the international breaks would be a positive thing for the Gunners. It allows additional time to work on elements on the training pitch and to be fully prepared for the team they are facing. Less fatigue, etc.

That is what makes this performance against Palace so worrying. Same with Brighton. Arteta had two weeks to work out a gameplan and strategy to secure the three points and to get his players up for a critical encounter. This was a huge opening for the team after previous results. Instead, it looked as if no attention had been paid to how Palace set up and play.

The Arsenal players look under prepared for what Vieira’s men were set up to do. That falls squarely on the shoulders of Arteta and you have to seriously question what goes on at the training ground and how he prepares his team for matches.

Overall, despite the last-gasp equalizer, it was a horrible performance from Arsenal on home soil. Palace was fully deserving for what looked like a great three points, and no Arsenal fan can claim otherwise.

Arteta’s future was already shaky. After this performance some serious questions have to be asked, if they haven’t been already. He needs to be getting this right with a near full complement of players. He isn’t.

Villa is up next in the Premier League and if this type of performance is repeated then Arsenal will have one point from two games that they were expected to get six from. It shapes as a big week for Arteta and his Arsenal side. Time is running out.