LONDON – If 2023 is the year Arsenal prove unable to keep up the pace as leaders, then their New Year’s resolution must be to thrive as chasers.
A 2-1 defeat to Fulham on the final day of the calendar year extended a dismal run to just one win in five Premier League matches, and they dropped from first to fourth in a stuttering finish reminiscent of last season’s title challenge.
Manchester City are winners of a series over track and distance and so it was important for Arsenal’s chances of winning a first title since 2004 that they make another significant breakthrough this time around, as demonstrated by City’s faltering form and participation in the Club World Cup. His rivals have the opportunity to do.
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While Liverpool – and notably Aston Villa – have benefited from this, the Gunners’ pace has deserted them with results elsewhere ensuring they now sit below City on goal difference and solidly in a five-way competition for a Champions League place. Not to mention the league title.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said: “We have to look at ourselves in the mirror because today’s performance is the worst we have played all season, that is for sure.” “A painful and sad day, that’s how I would sum it up.
“We had the opportunity to finish at the top of the table after 20 matches with the consistency we showed. We did not achieve good enough results to earn the right to win the match. Three days ago we lost a match. [against West Ham] We deserved to win, today was a completely different story.
“[Against West Ham] We didn’t put the ball in the net and they scored the way they did. decent. Today, the overall performance was even more worrying.”
The situation is far from lost given that there is almost half the season remaining, but problems are mounting for Arteta, who must grapple with the fact that his side are 10 points worse off than they were at the same stage last season.
One of the main reasons for this is the regression to the mean in the collective production of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli Martin Odegaard. This trio were brilliant last season in masking the lack of a prolific No. 9 in a way that is understandably difficult to replicate.
Eddie Nketiah was a marginal presence after replacing Gabriel Jesus in the starting line-up, registering just 24 touches and completing just eight passes – both the fewest of any player in either team to complete 90 minutes.
Martinelli and Saka began to do a good job of concealing their anonymity by helping to give Arsenal the lead on five minutes. The Brazilian took advantage of the space on the left flank, rushing forward, cutting the ball off with his right foot and shooting. Bernd Leno did well to stick out his left hand to make a save but the ball fell straight into Saka’s path and he converted it from close range.
Arsenal were strangely flat after that. According to Opta, Martinelli did not attempt a single shot throughout the match and Saka faded from sight.
There is a trend forming. Last season, Saka scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists out of an expected goals figure of 11.45 and expected assists figure of 5.81. This season, he has seven goals (6.87xG) and six assists (6.53xA).
Martinelli has scored 15 goals (9.33 xG) and five assists (6.96 xA) in the 2022-23 season. This season, he has two goals (2.51xG) and two assists (2.87xA). Odegaard has scored 15 goals (10.00 xG) and seven assists (7.95 xA) but his numbers this season are four goals (3.93 xG) and three assists (4.33 xA).
This isn’t necessarily to highlight these three because there are other factors – for example, Arsenal are suddenly vulnerable at set-pieces after conceding four corner kicks in their last six league games – but without Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard producing such performances. . At a high level, it raises questions about whether they have the depth in attack to finish above City.
Arteta added, “We were not good enough in our possession of the ball. We wasted a lot of balls. We did not have enough rhythm and threat.” “Defensively we were in second place. We couldn’t control the direct play. It was very easy for them to win the first and second ball and have a chance to run.”
There was a lack of composure in their play when they lost to West Ham on Thursday, and while the stats on the night offered some relief – as they collected 30 shots but failed to score – there was nowhere to hide here.
Fulham were the better team without being at their best. In the 29th minute, Saka lost the ball cheaply and the hosts pounced, with Tom Cairney sending a cross to the far post where Raul Jimenez cleverly scored the equaliser.
The winning goal was a disaster but well deserved. Willian hit a corner kick in the 59th minute, but Arsenal failed to deal with it. He threw his limbs at the ball without conviction and allowed Bobby de Cordova Reid to finish the ball from close range.
Arteta brought on Jesus and Reiss Nelson in response, but Fulham remained relatively comfortable and were able to add a third goal when substitute Andreas Pereira hit the crossbar from a free kick in the 88th minute.
This was the first time in 48 matches dating back to New Year’s Day 2022 that Arsenal lost a league match after scoring the first goal. That came against City as well.
Five games ago, Arsenal were six points clear of City. Now they are down with Pep Guardiola’s side having a game in hand away at Brentford. City are not flawless, but they are excellent candidates. Without a league game now until January 20, Arteta needs to regroup at Arsenal.
“We definitely need to reset things after today because this will remain in our stomachs for a few days,” Arteta said. “I repeat: the game against West Ham looks completely different, so you can move on. It’s football, it can happen.
“What happened today can never happen again because if it does we will never have the opportunity to be where we want to be.”
