It is never a ringing endorsement when you are hauled off at half-time. And, sadly for Lucas Torreira, who was making just his second start since the restart, he was deservingly brought off after a poor first-half performance.
Starting in place of Granit Xhaka in central midfield, Torreira failed to provide the same progressive distribution. Safe and conservative, he rarely helped move Arsenal up the pitch. More concerningly, though, his defensive contributions were poor, too. When he pressed, he was easily bypassed. He was often a step slow to reach loose balls and was yellow carded for his late tackles.
While Torreira’s performance was poor, however, he also was not helped by those around him. Having three centre-forwards in the front three offered few options to play the ball into. The movement off the ball was dreadful and Rob Holding rarely stepped up from right centre-back, the position that often has more time to do so in a back three.
Torreira was also played out of position. His limitations restrict him to being a sole holding midfielder in a three-man midfield. Asking him to play in a pair in a two-way role does not put him in positive positions. So yes, Torreira played poorly, but Mikel Arteta and his teammates did not help him.
4. What intensity?
In successive wins against Liverpool and Manchester City, Arsenal played with a brilliant intensity, energy, and spirit. They worked relentlessly hard, competed for every loose ball, tackled hard, played with focus, energy, and precision. While they needed good fortune to beat both, the character of their performance was exemplary. So where did it go?
From the very first whistle, Arsenal were loose, lax, lethargic. Their passing was inaccurate and wayward, they were unable to connect in any area of the pitch, created next to nothing, and, most concerningly, lacked that sharpness and intensity of their recent performances. By full-time, they conjured zero shots on target and their best chance of the game came from a corner.
Before the match, Arteta said that his squad cannot grow complacent because of two excellent wins against the best teams in the country. Aston Villa might be in a relegation scrap, but they need not be underestimated. And yet, that is precisely what happened. Arsenal were not at the race, not whatsoever, and it is why they are in midtable.
3. Defending set-pieces a major issue
Arsenal have never been the greatest set-piece defenders. But this season, it has been a huge Achilles Heel that has repeatedly undermined their progress.
They conceded from a corner kick here. It was a calamity of errors. David Luiz’s poor pass conceded the corner in the first place. Then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was tasked with Tyrone Mings. Not only was that a mismatch but he also did not concentrate when the corner was taken, allowing Mings to jump clear and flick the ball on at the near post.
Then the ball to fell to Trezeguet at the far post. Cedric Soares was slow to close down the shot and the Villa winger smashed an excellent finish past Emiliano Martinez at the near post. The final shot was unstoppable, but what led to it was the perfect illustration of how lapse Arsenal are when defending set-pieces.
Per Orbinho, Arsenal have now conceded 46% of their Premier League goals from set-pieces. It is the highest proportion in the league. For all of the improvements that Arteta has made, the set-piece defending has substantially deteriorated since his arrival. If it is not fixed, the Gunners will continue to struggle.
2. The system was all wrong
Mikel Arteta went with the 3-4-3 shape that he has fielded in recent weeks. The system is ideal in two key areas: it provides an extra central defender to cover for poor personnel at the position, which Arsenal certainly struggle from; it is the ideal shape to counter-attack out of, with the wide forwards relieved of defensive responsibility. Neither of these elements were needed here.
While Arteta has used the 3-4-3 extensively, he also wants his team to press high up the pitch and control matches with long periods of possession. In this instance, however, the formation hampers the team’s overall approach, rather than aids what Arteta wants his players to execute on the pitch.
In the second half, Arteta changed. First, he switched to a 4-3-3, tucking Bukayo Saka into central midfield and moving Sead Kolasinac to left-back. At the hour-mark, he moved to a 4-4-2 with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah leading the line and Nicolas Pepe introduced on the right flank. Immediately, Arsenal were able to control the game and create more chances. Arteta got his system wrong.
1. Midtable performance; midtable team
The inconsistency of the team must be infuriating for Mikel Arteta. No player came out of this defeat with any sort of credit. No player stood up and took responsibility. No player drove Arsenal forward and out of their rut. This was simply a dreadful performance, and the recent week painfully illustrates the course of their season.
Such inconsistency is the staple of midtable teams. When it clicks, they can compete with the very best, as Arsenal did against Liverpool and Chelsea. But if they are required to perform throughout 38-game league campaign and compete in multiple competitions, they simply do not have the quality or character to do so.
The machine-like success of City and Liverpool prove the level that teams must reach. What makes them so brilliant is not their ability to perform at their highest level every now and then, but rather to replicate that performance over and over and over again.
It is a stark contrast to Arsenal. The Gunners are a midtable team. This was a midtable performance. And for the first time in 25 years, Arsenal will succumb to a deserved midtable finish.
