NFL
By: Edwin Duodu
Let’s all take a moment to pray for Arsenal fans. They may be going through a crisis by supporting their beloved club. After suffering an opening day defeat to newly-promoted Brentford, the Gunners were essentially bullied in a 2-0 loss to Chelsea. This has by far been one of the most disappointing starts to a season for the club. To make matters worst, Arsenal has yet to score a goal for the new season. It’s reported that Mikel Arteta may have only the next five games to turn the early campaign around. Unfortunately, with the way things are going, he may not make it to the fifth game.
The team has last confidence. It was evident in just the first game against Brentford. If you were watching a Premier League match for the first time, you probably would’ve thought Brentford were the initial favorites to win the game. The Bees played with more intensity through 90 minutes, and Arsenal looked uninterested. There seemed to be a lack of fight and passion. There was also no sense of urgency once the team conceded the first goal of the game. The game ended up an embarrassment for fans, to say the least.
The Gunners tried to dismiss their early actions and take the challenge up to Chelsea the following week. The problem was, it was only for 15 minutes. Again, once Arteta’s side conceded the first goal, the breath was sucked out of the Emirates stadium, and moods dropped. Certain players did show passion and energy during that game. However, there seemed to be no drive to play hard for the badge from an overall team perspective, indicating that Arteta has lost the locker room. Once a team looks uninterested, it’s evident that the manager has little control over their attitudes heading into the next fixture.
Throughout the first two games, it’s challenging to analyze the clear plan of how Arteta intends on dominating the opposition. Their attitudes on the pitch may be because of the style of play that Arsenal players have been intent on learning for the past 18 months. There were rarely any passing lanes or spaces for players to use once they received the ball. It forced clearances and confusion throughout the game. The pressing was uninspiring and uncoordinated; whether one player charged for the ball himself or the whole team was always five yards from the ball.
On the other hand, Chelsea’s plans of beating the press were relatively simple and executed to perfection. Dropping back multiple players to open up pass lanes and eventually moving the ball quickly up the pitch left the Arsenal defense totally exposed. Arteta had no answers.
Now that fans are back in the fold, Arteta will know each poor performance through booing and loud chatter. Last year, he didn’t have that issue placed on him. For a fanbase that has endured the last couple of years without Champions League football and now its first season without European football since 1996, tensions are rising high. It doesn’t help that many people in the fanbase believe that Mikel Arteta has wasted summer transfer funds this year, hasn’t addressed the team’s top needs, and has kept players that fans have been calling to leave the club for ages. The next five Premier League fixtures for Arsenal stands as follows:
Manchester City (A)
Norwich City (H)
Burnley (A)
Tottenham (H)
Brighton (A)
There isn’t much excitement around the club, which may worsen considering Arsenal isn’t playing with confidence or a tactical plan. The team has been linked with Antonio Conte if Mikel Arteta were to get sacked. If Arteta doesn’t find a way to get positive results within the next couple of games, Conte could fill the vacant role soon. Right now, the whole Arsenal fanbase is watching and waiting to see what happens.
