Arsenal: 3 positives from dreadful Southampton defeat

Just in case it was thought the weekend couldn’t get any worse for those of a red and white affiliation, Arsenal Women lost at home to Chelsea to compound a couple of days best left forgotten.

Unfortunately, Arsenal can’t forget, and nor can the fans. The defeat at Southampton was one that won’t be cast aside in a hurry as it broke more records along with more spirits.

That’s now three defeats in a row in the Premier League for the second time this season, with the Gunners seeming to be heading towards a campaign much like the one just passed. On course for a similar points tally and goals scored, the difference is that Arsenal look like they’ll end up conceding more this time around.

All of which sounds fairly glum, doesn’t it?

Arsenal: 3 positives from dreadful Southampton defeat as Mikel Arteta’s side spurn glorious chance to gain ground on Premier League top four

With a place in any European competition on the line, not just top four, it’s hard to be especially comforted by what is being dished up. But we have to try, as ever, to seek the positives.

Where might they be?

1. Nuno Tavares the Pick of the Bunch

Far from stupendous, and not up into the lofty heights of excellent, Nuno Tavares slots coolly into the ‘very decent’ category.

How Mikel Arteta has managed Nuno has come under the microscope. The painfully clear lack of faith in him to keep his place against Brighton must have knocked his confidence out of the stadium. To field your best midfielder in his position and spark a damaging domino effect across the rest of the team tells you a lot about the manager’s feelings.

And then, having alluded to it in the build-up to the point of practically confirming it, Arteta fooled everyone by selecting the summer signing from the start. Not only that, when he needed to bring more attacking players on and take off a defender it was the other full-back he hooked first.

To come into the game under those circumstances and be tidy in possession, willing to burst forward and overload centrally as well as in wide areas is a credit to Nuno’s character. In a sea of poor or average performances, he stood out as the pick of the bunch.

Keen to make things happen and get forward, this confident Nuno is someone Arsenal will desperately need over the next seven games.

The undoubted positive performance from the game.

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