What Arsenal must rediscover against Leeds

While Arsenal may have won three games on the spin against sides in the top six positions, there is no shirking the need for serious improvements in performance for the remaining games of the season.

Mikel Arteta described it best when he labelled the win over West Ham as ‘ugly’. It wasn’t a game to rewatch and get a closer look at the tactical successes or individual brilliance. Arsenal had to dig deep, be solid at set pieces, and score goals from unlikely sources.

That proved to be enough on the day.

This side has had the rub of the green in recent performances and luck has been on their side in crucial moments, something that is far from sustainable and will not keep producing the results needed to finish in the top four irrespective of the opponent.

Arsenal must rediscover their composure against Leeds with some worryingly sloppy football on show in the Premier League lately

Leeds are next up on the fixture list and, on paper, present a distinctly easier proposition than the three games just passed. However, they are fighting for their lives and the way the season has panned out for Arsenal means there is no such thing as an ‘easy’ game. There never is in this division, and especially now.

In order to boost their chances of securing a result in this fixture Arsenal have to rediscover their composure. As soon as one player starts misplacing passes or over-hitting them it appears to reverberate across the team. In the Chelsea win the Gunners were dreadfully sloppy at the back in the opening exchanges, while against Manchester United there was a prolonged spell either side of the break where this was also the case.

Most recently at the London Stadium it was easier to pick out the poor passages of play than it was to find the tidier ones.

It may just be the pressure telling. Anyone would be feeling it knowing what is at stake in the league, so for the youngest team in the division, many of whom have never been involved in a situation where they’re battling for Champions League, it is even more understandable.

But finding that composure in possession requires a balance. Knocking the ball around casually won’t suffice and will lead to halves of football akin the opening 45 minutes against Brighton. There needs to be the conviction in what they do coupled with the quality to pull it off.

When one simple ball is miscued followed by another and then another, it becomes self-inflicted pressure of a damaging variety. There is enough pressure as it is, so burdening yourself with more is least desired.

Recapture some of the crispness on the ball and domination of the opponent can return. That is when Arsenal are at their strongest and, together with the quality they have, it will be enough to see them over the line in the Premier League.