A much improved performance on the road
As much as you could say that this was a continuation of some disappointing away form for the Lads, the performance was much improved in terms of intensity, ambition and composure.
While the result was
the same, this wasn’t a performance equal to those at Brentford and West Ham, wherein we slumped to lethargic and error-ridden defeats. Instead, this was the result of going away to the best team on the planet and going into battle with them on their own turf.
The scoreline reflects the overall truth that Arsenal were the better team but I’m still proud of the Lads and I think the team gave a good account of themselves across the park. These are the kinds of games that happen in the Premier League and to expect anything more than a tough, battling performance away at the Emirates would perhaps be a little unfair of the squad at this point.
We made some opportunities for ourselves, with Brian Brobbey’s early chance and Chemsdine Talbi’s effort being the most memorable. Elsewhere, Trai Hume played some excellent crosses and linked up play from his position on the right, and Habib Diarra found some driving pockets, but we couldn’t make anything land.
Sunderland punished by flashes of quality from Arsenal
The unfortunate truth is that some small mistakes were punished brutally yesterday – which we also experienced in the reverse fixture.
At home, slight lapses in concentration from Enzo Le Fée and Noah Sadiki led to pin-point lashes at goal from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard. Here, the same could be said of Omar Alderete and Nordi Mukiel, which led to their opening two goals.
In reality, the finish still had to be perfect for their first and the passing had to be incisive for the second, and that’s what the elite teams are both capable of and known to do.
Nowhere was this more obvious than in the times we didn’t quite close them down quick enough on the edge of our own box, with Kai Havertz and Declan Rice both coming close and Martin Zubimendi slotting in a ridiculously accurate effort off the post.
On this point, I’d like to offer some nuance in that while we may have been slightly delayed in closing down shots, Arsenal obviously drill these scenarios meticulously so as to create space specifically for shots on the edge of the box. It’s particularly effective because they have the ability to punish so incisively in those situations.
They have quality all over the pitch — not least of all in goal where David Raya demonstrated once again why he’s one of the best in the business.
We didn’t test him too much outside of a drilled Talbi effort, but his handling of the ball, anticipation and distribution at speed was electric and shows why you have to be on form for the full ninety against the league leaders.
The tactical battle between Régis Le Bris and Mikel Arteta
It was interesting to see how aggressively we were set up yesterday, with Sunderland going man-for-man all the way up the pitch out of possession.
It often forced Raya to go long, from where Dan Ballard and Alderete could often win the first contact and earn us possession again. Arsenal are clearly an excellent team and you could see they had manoeuvres planned to counter this, with Rice dropping into his own box to leave space for Raya to pick a pass, but we did often make them work to get out.
Additionally, Habib Diarra once again impressed both in and out of possession in his “Chris Rigg” role as the second striker in our pressing 4-4-2 from last season. We know Le Bris loves this setup and clearly recruited Diarra with that specific position in mind, but it’s great to see that he fits it so perfectly.
The bravery to go man-for-man allowed us to give a much better account of ourselves on the road and gave us a chance to get something from the game — it’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t fashion any more big chances but can see why Arsenal have such an incredible defensive record.
A physical duel at the Emirates
We went to the Emirates Stadium with an aggression that we hadn’t found ourselves capable of in recent away performances. This was great to see, and in my opinion, necessary if we were to stand a chance against the battling North Londoners.
They relish a battle down there and are known for their set piece expertise, so it was good to see that we didn’t succumb to either any goals from corners while causing them huge issues from our own set plays, with one in particular nearly leading to the opener if not from an important block from Havertz. Without Raya, I could’ve also seen a few more close calls for the home side as we caused chaos in their box.
A primary pillar of our physical capabilities was Brian Brobbey, who was once again immense with his back to goal and, in my opinion, let down often and predictably by the officiating.
I’m not too sure why he’s not allowed to win fouls but it makes it all the more impressive that he performed so impressively against the odds — both numerically against Arsenal’s two centre halves and the referee. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get more men around Brobbey in order to advance more efficiently up the pitch, but it’s something we’re clearly working towards and improving overall.
The impact of Le Bris’ mid-game changes
The substitutions made by Le Bris didn’t yield any immediate results but did make for some interesting viewing, and one particularly exciting sight was that of Nilsson Angulo’s introduction in Sunderland colours — especially as it saw him attacking from the right hand side.
Upon his signing, all initial signals pointed to Angulo’s abilities being most refined off the left, driving on either side of the right full back and providing passes for teammates. Yesterday, though, we saw him replace Hume on the right side (even taking the set pieces that Hume had previously been entrusted with) while Romaine Mundle retained his position on the left, replacing Talbi.
It’s a sign that Le Bris may see Angulo as the right winger we’d clearly been interested in recruiting, especially in Bertrand Traoré‘s absence both in the immediate short term and potentially beyond. Something to keep an eye on.
We didn’t get to see much of Angulo’s quality during his fifteen-minute cameo, but it’s good to see that he’s fit and trusted from the off and I’m excited to see what he can bring.
Mundle’s introduction in the first instance was also notable. Le Bris clearly trusts him from the left wing and I think the fact that we’ve seen Simon Adingra go out of the door while Mundle is the first substitute away against Arsenal tells you a lot about what’s happening in training.
A less exciting sight, however, was that of Noah Sadiki’s exit from the pitch, replaced by Lutsharel Geertruida. It came about five minutes after he clearly felt something of a tweak in his hamstring when stretching for a ball and which was undoubtedly the reason for the substitution.
Sadiki very rarely comes off the pitch so although it was concerning, it’s important to note that he did play for a further five minutes after the incident and walked off without much issue, so perhaps it was just a precautionary move from Le Bris.
Onto the next, lads!
