The 2 players who struggled for Arsenal again vs Crystal Palace

What, only two players? Surely this list can stretch almost 11 players long? Yes, it almost can. Arsenal were mostly appalling on Monday night and trying to unearth the positives from the display is mostly futile.

It can be done, but that’s not where the focus is here.

Alexandre Lacazette did not ‘spare Mikel Arteta’s blushes’, nor did he bail a few of his alarmingly poor teammates out. While the result isn’t a defeat, it’s still an infuriating climax to what was a presentable opportunity for Arsenal to sneak their way up the table.

Throwing everyone into the box with seconds left on the clock might have been avoidable were it not for many of the mistakes Arteta made tactically. For all the manager’s failings on the night, however, the performances of Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard left plenty to be desired.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1450356042886369287

Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard let Arsenal down again vs Crystal Palace having also put in poor performances against Brighton

That’s now two consecutive matches in the Premier League where the centre of the pitch hasn’t functioned, which just so happens to be where these two operate.

Partey had started well; Palace players feared his influence and avoided pressing him, and as a result he set off a number of neat one-touch passes that either got Arsenal out of trouble or progressed them up the pitch.

Same too for Odegaard, albeit with less influence, as he found himself in a more unfamiliar deeper role. He’s played there before, but is being asked to effectively be Granit Xhaka. He isn’t even remotely similar to Xhaka, in case that wasn’t clear.

The set up was wrong and the gaps in front of them wide. That is where the mitigation stops. Both were very poor.

Partey being caught on the ball as sloppily as he did deserves the same amount of critique as Xhaka would have received. In other words, a lot. His general display looked unhinged and unorganised, lacking conviction in its application. It was the same against Brighton.

As for Odegaard, someone who can also be mesmeric on his day, he followed suit from the previous outing. His touch abandoned him again on Monday, his distribution was all off, and after being pushed further forward in the second half he went missing. Martin the friendly ghost. It was the same against Brighton.

One off day is understandable but two similarly passive outings raises a few red flags. In this division you can’t become a passenger when your team isn’t in control. You need 11 players on the pitch and it’s little surprise that two of the most influential figures have suffered in the past two outings and both have resulted in bang average team performances.

Systematically there are issues in the shape and set up of the team, which aren’t helping, but this isn’t good enough from either. As the team is set up, it’s laid out to be, in many ways, Partey and Odegaard’s. They can run the show from where they are and offer threatening centrality from their positions.

Were they the only ones who let Arsenal down? Absolutely not: Pepe, Tierney, the manager, et al, all deserve a mention too. These two aren’t singled out unfairly over others, it’s just that Arsenal won’t play well if they don’t. Their roles are key.

Two consecutive matches, however, and they’ve been bystanders.