Arsenal have started the season undefeated with the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham and Everton all being unable to defeat a solid but steady Arsenal. This may sound like a satisfactory start, and to be honest it’s close to it, but the most obvious problem is the fact Arsenal fail to win these games, a reoccurring problem. With Chelsea next up on the list, it’s only getting harder and it’s worth a look into the possible reasons why Arsenal struggle against the ‘big teams.’
The game against Tottenham last weekend left many Arsenal fans frustrated, despite the game being salvaged by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain it simply wasn’t enough. Arsenal had 15 corners, 16 shots on target and 69% of the possession yet the draw itself was only just managed in the end.
AFCMO: Why Do Arsenal Struggle Against The Big Teams?
Closing out in big games, parking the bus, whatever you want to call it, Chelsea do it the best out of anyone in the Premier League. Against Manchester City earlier in the season, Arsenal got caught out from a corner and ended up drawing a game that could have so easily been a huge win. Mentally, it would have destroyed the notion that Arsenal cannot beat the big teams and practically speaking it would have given an early edge on a team who will certainly challenge for the title.
‘The killer instinct’ is also something lacking amongst the Arsenal ranks. It has improved though, against Villa 3 goals in 4 minutes was enough to see a comfortable win. The necessity only increases to do it against the likes of Spurs and Arsenal simply didn’t, looking far too casual in the dying minutes of the North London Derby. Against Chelsea, Arsenal can’t afford to start slow, something they often do. Confidence should be high after an emphatic win against Galatasaray in the week, Arsenal need to go into the game with the belief they can win, not merely draw.
One obvious reason that resonates as being true now more than ever is injuries. The most pressing question has to be whether or not Arsenal are prone to injuries or lack proper guidance to players in helping them comeback from injury. It’s probably a combination of the two and some bad luck, but injuries will certainly play a huge role in giving other teams the edge over Arsenal in the big games. Since 2002 Arsenal have had 889 injuries of different sorts to contend with (Source: The Independent) and several players have had repeated injuries stagnating their progress. Wenger himself can clearly see the problem, suggesting ‘hard pitches’ may to blame. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Arsenal will overhaul the training pitches to solve the problem, but,whatever the cause is, it needs to be fixed quickly.
Injuries aside, Arsenal may lack a player who can strike fear into the opposition too. Since the days of the mighty Theirry Henry, Arsenal have had striker after striker with varying degrees of success. The leader on the pitch has usually been able to be identified but none quite come close to the legend that is Henry. Nowadays Arsenal do have some huge players, Özil, Sanchez and Ramsey when in form can certainly worry the opposition. It’s still not quite enough though. Diego Costa’s presence already achieves the effect of frightening the opposition. Arsenal will hope Welbeck can continue his run of form and perhaps cause defenders problems. The issue is with no real leader, when things are going badly it can be hard for Arsenal to find that moment of inspiration and genius, who knows, maybe the young and inspired Danny Welbeck can be this player now.
Overall, the label Arsenal have of under performing against the big teams simply can’t be given to a team challenging for the title. It needs to be destroyed and fast. With 3 ‘big games’ all undefeated yet all not won, Chelsea provides the hardest, most anticipated and ambitious push to end the stigma. If Arsenal want to win, a fast start and a togetherness is necessary. Most simply though, that 4 minute spell at Aston Villa needs to happen again. In those 4 minutes, Arsenal played at their very, very best, Arsene Wenger’s philosophy came together in the most glorious way and most importantly the team had no fear. Against Chelsea they should have no fear, as Mourinho said ‘what happens in the past, is the past.’ Arsenal’s 6-0 humiliation need not be thought about, instead how to close the gap on Chelsea to 3 points and finally beat a ‘big team’ needs to be the sole focus.
Your verdict
On the Twitter account @AFCModiOperandi this question was poised to Arsenal fans:
‘What do you think Arsenal’s most important weakness is against the big teams?’
Here are some of the responses:
“@benjam11n: Defensive set pieces, our unsolved problem through these years”
“@thebedebs: I think we mostly lack a fighting spirit! Focus and strength #CFCVAFC”
“@donstabini: Lack of a proper holding midfielder and a lack of ruthlessness upfront”
“@billybutton1: (They don’t) play their own football, with pace, urgency, accuracy and defend as a team, simple”
“@TheHeartOfAGoon: This one’s easy. Our mentality is (our biggest weakness). We usually go into these games tagged as underdog and we usually end up playing like one.
Thank you for your responses.
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