Arsenal: 3 positives from 2-1 defeat to Brighton

How dare anyone look at what unfolded at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and be positive. From near enough every angle it appears as if Arsenal have thrown away the top four within the space of a week.

But we have to be. From the darkness comes a new light. Granted, the positives to take from the game do not mask over the overwhelming negatives, those which will be stewed over for many months, but God loves a trier.

Arsenal were comfortably beaten. This much can’t be argued. One of the worst halves of football the side has produced this season saw them fail to inspire themselves let alone the crowd, with Mikel Arteta’s tactical disasterplan failing to ignite the requisite response to the loss in south London.

Second best to every ball and every duel, this was a side bereft of ideas from the first minute in a system that they struggled to get to grips with – just as they had when it was tried last season.

Arsenal: 3 positives from 2-1 defeat to Brighton as Mikel Arteta oversees Premier League defeat that leave top four hanging by a thread

The ploy of fielding Granit Xhaka at left-back in 2020/21 did work…until it didn’t work. Arteta wants deep progression but it came at the loss of balance and solidity in midfield, resulting in a turgid performance that didn’t kick into life until the 80th minute.

Too little, too late.

It’s a result that leaves hopes of a top four finish in the Premier League hanging by a thread with Spurs finding form at all the wrong times, and fans will struggle to compartmentalise another season where Champions League football was wasted in matches against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

As we said, though, there has to be something even remotely encouraging, right? Let’s try to, anyway.

Eddie Nketiah Once Again Bright

You know you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel when you have to praise the performances of substitutes in matches. Once again, however, just like at Palace, it was someone coming off the bench who stood out.

What Eddie Nketiah produced at Villa Park was embarrassing. His heart wasn’t in it and nor was his head.

Yet, to his credit, both times he’s come off the bench since have been positive cameo outings and his Brighton display was a continuation of what he produced against Palace. While the caveat for both appearances is the game state – in which both opposition teams were happy to defend their leads – Nketiah looked engaged and threatening.

With him operating as a No. 9 there are a lot of data points to fall back on: Nketiah isn’t physical enough to be a centre-forward from the start, nor is he capable with his back to goal. Coming on to act effectively as a shadow striker is a different matter as he can make third man runs and be released from any positional burdne.

He bent his runs well, showed willingness to get into the box both for near post and far post movements, and had that touch of quality when he released the ball to be involved in secondary actions. Were it not for a flying save he could have leveled the scores.

With Lacazette detracting from the team as opposed to adding to it at the moment, while there are legitimate concerns over Nketiah’s capacity to lead the line, he at least offers some goal threat through the middle of the pitch.

His inclusion must be at least considered.

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