News

The current malaise is the fault of ‘million dollar’ man after Wolves humbling – Opinion

|

With a third consecutive loss having been chalked up last night, just what is going wrong with Arsenal?

The Gunners look a shadow of the side that swept aside Manchester City and Chelsea on their way to FA Cup victory last season. As a matter of fact, they look like a relegation-fodder team at this moment in time, who will barely stay up if they continue their current form.

So what’s the issue?

Well, it’s easy to analyse given how blunt the team look up top. Mikel Arteta started the season with such negative tactics that overtime the team has forgotten how to attack. And in a desperate attempt to fix the sides ailing issues in the final third, the Spaniard has made the side more open by switching to a back four which has invited the likes of Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers on to them in their last two games.

Go back to the start of the season, the Gunners started the season with a convincing 3-0 win over Fulham. However, following that victory they struggled against the likes of West Ham, Liverpool, Sheffield United and the Citizens, amassing a combined 28 shots on goal. That was just four more than the Whites managed in the side’s last away game at Elland Road.

And up until that game against Manchester United, the tactics to sit deeper and employ a back-three was working a treat and the Reds actually had the league’s best defence.

However, it soon became apparent that the side were struggling to score from open play, and as fixtures piled up the issue got deeper and deeper. Yesterday, Gabriel Magalhaes scored a header from a Willian cross to break that duck. But, the problem in attack insisted with Arteta’s men struggling to get a single shot on target in the second half.

Should Arsenal sack Arteta?

Yes

No

And that once strong defence they had? Well, that’s been blown away in recent home outings by some impressive football from Nuno Espirito Santo’s and Dean Smith’s side.

So the defence has gone backwards and the attack is still struggling with the blame firmly being laid at Arteta’s door, who hardly looks a ‘million dollars’. His tactics at the start of the season has got the club where it is today and in all honesty I can’t see how he turns the current malaise around.

In other news, one Sky Sports pundit has sarcastically claimed the side will stay up this season.

Share this article

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *