The worrying similarities between Liverpool and West Ham draws

Going into Sunday’s game at the London Stadium, the one thing that Arsenal would have wanted was a fast start to calm the nerves after the draw at Anfield.

And, that’s exactly what happened. Two goals in the opening 10 minutes and some incredible football put the Gunners in complete control, and much like Anfield, they silenced the crowd and toyed with the opposition.

Like Anfield, Arsenal failed to grab that third goal but played like they had it. On both occasions, they were popping the ball around with ease in their own half and around the halfway line, which even for the best teams in the world, is very risky football.

The worrying similarities between Liverpool and West Ham draws

When things were going well, everyone was at ease. West Ham were completely out of the game, and it looked like it was a matter of time before Arsenal would grab another.

In both games, it was around the 30-minute mark that things started to get shaky for Arsenal, with West Ham gaining a penalty from their first real break. Against Liverpool, there were warnings before their goal came, and in both games, it came from overconfidence.

At Anfield, when Arsenal were popping it around with ease, Rob Holding attempted a reverse pass deep in his own half, which was cut out and led to Mohamed Salah going through on goal. On Sunday, it was Thomas Partey attempting to lift the ball over Declan Rice, which led to a break in the same area of the pitch, and ultimately the penalty.

Similar mistakes happened against Crystal Palace and Leeds, with Wilfried Zaha and Crysencio Summerville both causing problems, which should have been a lesson for Arsenal, but with 4-1 wins on both occasions, the defensive frailties were overlooked.

Arsenal didn’t have that luck in the last two games and very basic mistakes cost them. One of those basics was the second ball, and again both Liverpool and West Ham’s second goals came from failing to win the second ball after the ball was cleared.

That happened numerous times throughout each game, and on both occasions when they were winning it, they were clearing it rather than playing it out. That tactic is very much against the grain of how Arsenal have operated this season and meant they relinquished control in key areas.

And like Anfield, Arsenal couldn’t get their usual magic from their full-backs, despite Ben White starting extremely well by assisting Gabriel Jesus.

Kieran Tierney’s late addition changed the structure of Arsenal’s build-up play, which had a big effect on Partey throughout the game in terms of passing options, leading to greater distances than Arteta would have liked between him and his teammates.

Tierney spent long periods trying to invert, but it just isn’t his natural game, and unlike at Liverpool where they prevented Zinchenko from inverting and controlling, Tierney naturally reverted to his strengths, and although he did a solid job defending one on ones, he wasn’t there to provide an outlet in the middle of the pitch.

That outlet has become Arsenal’s not-so-secret weapon this season, and very, very few players can do what Zinchenko does, so Arsenal will be hoping that he is back for Southampton to ensure they can regain that control high up the park.

Either way, Arteta will have plenty to think about before Friday, as no matter what happens, Arsenal need three points.