Arsenal 1-2 Brighton: 3 talking points from crushing top four blow

Arsenal players react after conceding a second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 9, 2022. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

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Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Questions Over Arteta’s Management

With Kieran Tierney now out for the season due to a knee injury, many thought that Nuno Tavares would get some much-needed game time. The backup left-back has barely seen the field over the last two months.

Instead, today, Arteta deployed Granit Xhaka in that position and made Lokonga partner Odegaard in midfield. It was a disaster. Brighton played around and through the Arsenal midfield with ease, exploited the gaps at left-back, and were physically comfortable all across the pitch with Xhaka’s absence in midfield keenly felt.

Backward and sideways passing was met with moans and groans from the Arsenal faithful. Every pass was to feet, there was nobody occupying the high No. 8 position with Smith Rowe coming short and any notion of physicality was gone. There was no balance to the team.

Even more so, after half-time, Xhaka was semi-moved into midfield and Gabriel Martinelli was playing a left wing-back role, which was more than odd when simply bringing on a left-back – one who is very attack minded – was an option available to him.

Still young in manager terms, Arteta got everything wrong today with his team selection, substitutions and tactics. He and the side got the defeat the performance merited.

Continued on next page…

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