This is a really difficult game to unpack — for large parts we competed as equals with arguably the best team in world football, yet the scoreline reads a 3-0 loss. A third away loss in which we have conceded three.
While two of Arsenal’s goals contained pieces of genuinely top-quality play, for the most part, we limited them to a number of small chances, with each side’s xG pretty similar (1.02 v 1.03). I don’t really care for xG; it is a quantitative metric that can hardly be realistically quantified
— what the hell does it actually mean in real-world terms? But here it is a useful barometer. We barely gave them real chances in earnest, and barely had any ourselves.
Omar Alderete was suspect for both goals — the first emanated from a poor giveaway in his own defensive third, and he looked to have allowed Viktor Gyökeres far too much space as he scored the second, yet I really find it difficult to actually blame him for either. That finish from Martin Zubimendi quite literally hit the one part of the goal (or post) that would actually lead to a goal, and Leandro Trossard (the Premier League’s premium underrated player) created the second with a world-class through ball.
The third, while an effective counter-attack, came purely from us pushing to score, and immediately after what I thought was a penalty for Saliba dragging down Dan Ballard to the ground with both of his arms. It was an undeserved result which flatters the hosts. Yet, regardless of that, their quality shone through. Many of their players are truly world-class in their passing range and shooting that was shown on the day, and trying to break that defence is like just hitting a brick wall after some promising interplay in the middle of midfield.
Many of us had hope, but probably very few actually thought we would win today. Arsenal seem to be picking up momentum and are one of the most well-drilled teams I’ve seen in a long time. They look formidable in defence and manage to find a way through stubborn defences.
We created probably just one real chance ourselves — Brian Brobbey’s potentially-going-wide shot in the first ten minutes, which was cleared off the line, but still looked to be quite competitive in midfield, defence and from set pieces. Brobbey himself battled well all afternoon, getting the best of William Saliba, annoying the hell out of every Arsenal fan in the stadium and had the league’s most physical, dominant force bouncing off him from Enfield to Islington. Yet again, we sit here after another x-goals-to-three loss.
There were some very strong performances throughout the side; Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo got the better of their wingers for the most part, Robin Roefs and Dan Ballard were dominant in the air, and others further up battled and linked up well. Yet we didn’t do much in attack. Arsenal’s goals were all genuine quality, but also all felt a bit soft. It’s been a weird afternoon of oxymorons. A good performance, yet a poor result. A promising day, yet another loss on the road.
Again, we stopped their set-piece threat. Arsenal’s 0.19 xG from set-pieces is their second-lowest in a game this season (the lowest was us at the SoL). And again, I apologise for the use of xG, but in a baffling afternoon, where I’m actually not absolutely fuming that we just lost 3-0, and probably quite enthused by our overall performance, it is helping provide clarity.
One positive from the day was the late introduction of Nilson Angulo, who did not look out of place at all. He came on and played on the right wing to see the game out and looked bright in spells. What was mostly self-evident, though, was his willingness to defend, track back and physicality in challenges. Something that always eluded Simon Adingra during his time on Wearside, and a non-negotiable for Régis Le Bris.
What is self-evident is that we are not getting relegated. But if we really want to dream big and aim for Europe, this away form must be rectified. Missing Xhaka is an enormous factor, with 50% of the away games in which we have conceded three or more all coming during his absence, but it is bigger than that. It is now eight away games without a win on the road, and while our home form is imperious, the formula to get three points on the road needs to be found.
But if we put in this type of overall performance at home to Liverpool on Wednesday, I’d be pretty confident of finding a result.
