Arsenal: 4 negatives from miserable Nottingham Forest defeat

3. Horseshoe Football Returns

Everyone was off their game on Sunday, barring perhaps Bernd Leno and to some degree Benjamin White, with not a single player producing anything noteworthy in a bid to break through Forest’s shape.

The fabled ‘horseshoe’ system was back in full flow on what was a tactical mess of a performance.

A gameplan would have been devised: get in behind their wing-backs, overload around the half-spaces and try to isolate the wingers one-on-one. Maybe?

What unfolded was possession being recycled laboriously from full-back to centre-back, with the occasional midfielder dropping deep to facilitate the exact same ploy. The ball would be worked from left to right via about three of four individuals. It was like trying to open a parcel by tickling the sellotape.

The players didn’t know what to do. There was a dearth of any tactical insight on how they would break down the opposition. Even with the changes in personnel – which were midfield and defence – they should know how hurt Championship opposition.

It became give the ball to Saka and Martinelli and cross your fingers with a few pointless crosses thrown in for good measure. When Arsenal are flinging balls into the box for Nketiah to try and beat two big centre-halves then you know that the idea tank has run dry.

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