Arsenal were unable to break down Everton at the Emirates Stadium as they failed to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool with more poor finishing to blame for Mikel Arteta’s men
Mikel Arteta and his players are not concerned about their lack of goals from open play in the Premier League but there is a fear amongst the fans that history is repeating itself.
Gunners boss Arteta scoffed at the suggestion they have a problem, pointing to the fact they did not require any set-piece routines to put three past Monaco in the Champions League last Wednesday. But they scored six times against Lens at the end of November last year before dropping 11 points in their final five games of 2023.
The Gunners would only let five more points slip after that – one less than Manchester City who took the title by five points having trailed by six points before the disastrous December slump kicked in. Arsenal’s only goals in open play during that spell came late in a 2-0 win over Brighton after Gabriel Jesus had netted from a corner, and a Bukayo Saka tap in to open the scoring in a 2-1 defeat at Fulham.
Fast forward 12 months and the Gunners have gone three league games without a goal from open play, dropping four points which has left them still trailing leaders Liverpool by six points having played a game more. Like last year, Arteta’s men are dominating possession but there is an over reliance on skipper Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and corners to create goalscoring opportunities against deep-lying defences like Everton’s. Nobody else is coming to the party.
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The Gabriels, Martinelli and Jesus, continue to look shadows of their former selves, too many games pass Kai Havertz by and Leandro Trossard’s loose passing was jeered which will do little for his or the team’s confidence to “deliver that magic moment” Arteta said was the missing ingredient.
Keeper David Raya said: “I don’t think it is a confidence thing. It is just football. Sometimes you score from set pieces, sometimes you score from open play and I think we are very dangerous from both. In games like these, when teams sit back, it is harder to create those chances and create those goals.
“We had those chances but of course Everton defended very well and they’re a good team in those situations. So we just have to focus on ourselves and keep going.”
Odegaard and Saka created enough chances to win the game, only for Jordan Pickford to deliver the magic moments. The England keeper did brilliantly to stop a point-blank Odegard effort from Saka’s 29th-minute pull-back.
Then in the opening minute of the second half, Pickford swooped low to his left to push a Saka volley round the post. Arsenal had eight opportunities to equal Liverpool’s record of scoring from corners in four consecutive games without success.
The frustration in the stands was heightened by news Arne Slot’s table toppers were in the process of dropping points against Fulham. That anxiety transmitted onto the pitch in the second half, and Arteta hinted it caused his players to rush and make mistakes.
But Raya insisted league table pressure is not a factor. He added: “No we don’t feel that. We are only in December. There’s a lot of games to play. We will see where we are in May.”
It may only be December, but past experience should tell Raya and co it can have a big impact on where they’ll be in May.
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