Is Arsenal missing the tactical nous to become Premier League champions this season?

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·22. Oktober 2024

Is Arsenal missing the tactical nous to become Premier League champions this season?

By now, millions of Arsenal fans may have just finished peeling their fingers from their faces after witnessing those uncomfortable final 20 minutes in Saturday’s 2-0 loss away at Bournemouth.

Even the most ardent supporters will concede Arsenal were second best for large periods of this contest, yet this disappointing result was compounded by preventable errors, and as per Declan Rice’s post-match comments, “naivety” cost the Gunners in this encounter.

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Of course, there were caveats for the evening’s frustrations. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber were all unavailable and will have undoubtedly improved the team’s prospects of victory. However, this defeat perhaps provides a sizable indication of a high-level team still somewhat short of the nous needed to become champions.

For instance, examine the game’s key talking points much more closely.

William Saliba, the typically imperious and unflappable presence at the heart of Arsenal’s defence. Saturday brought the first red card of his senior career after he pulled down Bournemouth striker Evanilson, who had raced yards ahead of the defender, following a calamitous back pass from Leandro Trossard.

This, in all likelihood, will be a momentary blip in what will likely be a stellar career for Saliba, whose status as a world-class centre-back has been widely accepted at 23 years old. However, therein lies some of the problems. A world-class 23-year-old is still a 23-year-old, even after over 200 senior games played. Despite his abundant maturity, Saliba does not possess the reserves of experience that come with age and the variance of on-pitch scenarios stored with every match played.

There is a case to say even a few years down the line, Saliba most likely does not act with the same impetuousness when an attacker bypasses him after an errant pass, with the knowledge of the jeopardy that accompanies committing such a foul. Alas, this 23-year-old version of Saliba is who Arsenal had in defence on Saturday, with his dismissal not just affecting that match but also ensures his absence in this Sunday’s huge home clash versus league leaders Liverpool.

At the other end of the pitch, Gabriel Martinelli came on for Leandro Trossard in the 64th minute, with the winger finally showing recent signs of resurgence with two goals in his last two Premier League games after a 17-game goalless run. Moments later, Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa misplaces a pass, which eventually gifts him with a significant opening in front of goal. His side-footed effort is saved by Kepa, with the game finely poised at 0-0. Then, no more than two minutes later, a tremendous finish from Ryan Christie courtesy of a brilliantly worked corner grants Bournemouth the lead.

Martinelli’s finishing does not routinely convey the clinicality that elite attackers require to decide matches, as could also be seen last month after missing another excellent opening in Arsenal’s 0-0 Champions League draw away at Atalanta. The Brazilian’s goal tallies in the league from the past three seasons are as follows: six in 21/22, fifteen in 22/23 and six in 23/24. Such a record suggests that the spike in 2022/23 was Martinelli riding the crest of terrific goal-scoring form for the first time in his career rather than having fully formed the ruthless potency in his finishing which would enable him to regularly decide matches.

Going back in time to when Arsenal last won the league in 2004, club legend Robert Pires was on the left flank of the Invincibles’ attack, finishing the season with 14 Premier League goals, his joint-best return in an Arsenal shirt. The Frenchman achieved this total over three consecutive league campaigns from 2002/03 to 2004/05, establishing himself as a consistent source of goals for the team in this period, something which Martinelli still needs to demonstrate in this team.

However, it is worth remembering Pires’ goals came at the peak of his powers in his late 20s, whereas, at 23, it is still very plausible Martinelli will refine his finishing to become a reliable marksman for Arsenal over the next few years. Yet, while this refinement continues, there may need to be acquiescence from Arsenal fans that more big chances may be missed at crucial intervals of matches.

One other interesting factor to consider is Gabriel Jesus. The 27-year-old has the requisite nous and pedigree to impact this Arsenal team, as one of only three players in this current squad with a Premier League winners medal, alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko and Raheem Sterling. With Arsenal trailing 1-0 up to the 75th minute, the Brazilian had still not entered the match. Kai Havertz has proven an able player in midfield this season, so removing one of either Partey, Rice or Merino for Jesus by that stage should have been logical, yet there is a harsh truth that is rather conspicuous.

Jesus has not scored for the club since January and has rarely appeared as threatening as he was in his dazzling first four months with Arsenal before suffering his knee injury in late 2022 during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Jesus’ recent plight now presents an eyebrow-raising dynamic within the squad, where Arsenal’s strongest starting XI have all not captured a league winners’ medal in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

This collective dearth of expertise in successfully navigating the peaks and troughs of a league season to become champions may be Arsenal’s main obstacle at present, even with the abundance of talent this current crop of players wields, especially against the substantial wherewithal contained within the four-time reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, whose late winner yesterday cements their capacity to collect wins, no matter the level of their performance.

Bukayo Saka, a few weeks ago, after their 2-0 victory over PSG in the Champions League, stressed how this Arsenal team believe this is their year to claim the Premier League title, having learnt from the near-misses and setbacks from the past few years. Great teams, indeed champions, invariably ensure disappointing results like those on Saturday are spontaneous aberrations rather than the portents of a mini malaise.

This Arsenal team, for the most part, are still learning the strenuous demands of becoming league champions, and whether they succeed in this quest this season will hinge on how quickly they can shed their callowness.

Joel Mians

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