Well, in the space of a few days the landscape surrounding Arsenal’s season has changed dramatically, not for the better either.
At 4.30pm on Sunday, Arsenal had huge confidence that they could go on to win the title. Rightfully, they also had confidence that their run in the Champions League would extend beyond the quarter-finals.
2024 had seen the rise of a different team under Mikel Arteta. Steadfast at the back with goals galore in attack, they have sadly not done themselves justice in their last two outings.
The Gunners remain two points off the pace in the Premier League but we all know what Manchester City are capable of at this time of the year; unbeaten runs.
The title is certainly still on the table but a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa last weekend has damaged their cause no end. There will be no European fairytale either as the Londoners whimpered to a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
The performance in Germany was incredibly disappointing, so much so that star man Bukayo Saka couldn’t even muster a single key pass or shot. Not great.
The man in the dugout shouldn’t escape criticism either. Two matches in a row now his team have looked totally devoid of ideas in the second half of a match. His substitutions haven’t helped either.
The plan B Arsenal could have employed
In the first leg last week Arteta’s substitutions worked wonders. Gabriel Jesus’ dazzling feet was a moment of magic that conjured up Leandro Trossard’s late equaliser.
However, the pairing couldn’t combine this time out having arrived on the pitch in place of Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian certainly didn’t have his best night, notably leaving Joshua Kimmich free to head home the second leg’s only goal of the night.
However, he is the quickest player in this team and his pace could have made a difference. If there’s one ingredient missing from Arsenal’s ever-improving lineup, it’s that attribute.
As soon as Martinelli went off it allowed the Bayern defence to step higher and in turn, nullify any ounce of creativity and threat – which wasn’t much – that Arsenal could offer.
The last throw of the dice saw Eddie Nketiah – without a league goal since October – try to salvage something from the game. If you’re trying to rely on someone so profligate in front of goal to rescue your Champions League hopes, you know it’s not going well.
The striker entered the fray and managed just three touches and a solitary pass. He was feeding off scraps; what Arsenal needed instead was a creator. Fabio Vieira anyone?
The Portuguese has spent a large part of the current campaign on the sidelines with injury and since returning has barely been seen in the team, playing only 46 minutes of football in 2024.
It would have been a risk to bring him on, therefore, but Arteta needed someone capable of picking a lock. Vieira, who ranks in the top 1% of positionally similar players in Europe for assists, the top 10% for shot-creating actions and the best 4% for progressive carries, all per 90, certainly would have been useful.
Notably said to be a player “who’s made for Champions League nights” by analyst Ben Mattinson, this was a rare time in the current term when Arsenal required his services.
Instead, Arteta ignored him, just as he has a habit for doing when it comes to his fringe players. Emile Smith Rowe was another unused substitute, as he so often has been in 2023/24.
It begs the question, why have a squad of players? Arsenal have had a very settled starting XI for the last two seasons but it’s led to crippling fatigue in April for successive campaigns. Moving forward, should they stay at the club, the manager needs to find a way to utilise the likes of Smith Rowe and Vieira more efficiently. Fit and firing, they are hugely valuable assets who should be seen more regularly.
