Arsenal’s biggest barrier to the top four is not Spurs or Man Utd, but their threadbare squad
If a gritty, hard-fought 1-0 win at Villa Park before the international break was a barometer of how far Arsenal have come this season, a messy 3-0 loss at Selhurst Park in their first Premier League game back showed there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Mikel Arteta acknowledged afterwards that his team were “not at the races”. In Arsenal’s defence, they are not the first team to have been caught cold by Patrick Vieira’s high-flying Eagles, as both Tottenham and Manchester City can attest.
Nevertheless, this was a bad time for a young team that has previously exuded mental resilience to fold under pressure, coming just a day after top-four rivals Spurs had thrashed Newcastle 5-1.
An off-night was only the half of Arteta’s problems. Kieran Tierney didn’t play due to a knee injury and is now expected to miss the remainder of the campaign, while Thomas Partey was taken off after pulling up during the move that ultimately led to the final goal of the evening.
Tierney’s importance should not be underestimated. The Scot’s understudy Nuno Tavares started his first game since being hauled off 35 minutes into a 1-0 FA Cup defeat against Nottingham Forest and lasted just 10 minutes more this time around after failing to track Jordan Ayew for Palace’s second.
Partey’s injury is equally unfortunate considering his excellent recent form. Should Partey miss a chunk of the run-in, the onus will be on Albert Sambi Lokonga or Mohamed Elneny to fill the void. The pair have two Premier League starts between them since November. To further compound matters, right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu isn’t expected to return from a calf issue for another fortnight.
The race for 4th
4. Spurs – Played 30, +15 GD, 54 pts
5. Arsenal – Played 29, +10 GD, 54 pts
6. West Ham – Played 31, +11 GD, 51 pts
7. Man United – Played 30, +8 GD, 51 pts
Beyond the injuries, Alexandre Lacazette’s lack of goals is becoming a problem. The Frenchman has scored only four times in the league this season, twice from the penalty spot, and is without one from open play since a 3-0 win over Southampton on 11 December. Over in Barcelona, meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has rediscovered his golden touch, netting nine in as many matches.
“It’s what we have,” Arteta said philosophically when asked whether his increasingly depleted squad is starting to become a cause for concern. “It’s the numbers that we have. We lost Kieran and we’ve lost Thomas now and that’s it. With the players that we have we will try like we’ve been trying since the start of the season. We’ve never had a big squad so we can’t find any excuses.”
With a game in hand over both Spurs and Manchester United and a three-point cushion over the latter, fourth place is still in Arsenal’s own hands. Should they fall short, however, a lack of investment during the January transfer window will be pinpointed as a key reason for their downfall.
Will Spurs vs Arsenal decide the top-four race?
The next iteration of the ever-feisty north London derby has acquired additional competitive significance this year thanks to the battle for fourth.
The fixture’s original date in mid-January was postponed after Arsenal’s squad was left threadbare by Covid, injuries, suspensions and Africa Cup of Nations commitments. After months of waiting, supporters of both clubs have finally found out a new date for the game, with it taking place on Thursday 12 May.
It seems certain is that the match will play a big role in where both teams finish this season. The pair are tied on points and their goal difference is in Spurs’ favour by five, though Arsenal do have two games in hand.
Spurs’ thrashing of Newcastle typified their threat in front of goal – no Premier League side has scored more goals in 2022 than their 30 – and Arsenal will have to figure out how to contain that if they are to take anything away from the game.
Were it not for the mid-season arrivals of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, Tottenham’s ChampionsLeague hopes would have been all but extinguished by now. After allowing Aubameyang and numerous fringe players to leave without reinforcing the squad, Arsenal took a calculated risk. The next few weeks will determine whether it paid off or backfired.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/QnyjCYW
Tierney expected to miss rest of the season as injury pile-up dents Arsenal's top four hopes05 April, 2022
The key games that will decide the top four race between Arsenal, Spurs, Man Utd and West Ham05 April, 2022
The World Cup changed nothing in Russia and I won't be surprised if the same happens in Qatar05 April, 2022
Rampant Palace deliver blow to Arsenal's top-four hopes - player ratings and analysis04 April, 2022
Post a Comment