Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier league are over after a disappointing 3:3 draw with Southampton.
Just like in the previous season, the Gunners have crumbled like a house of cards at the most crucial moment of the season.
As the Premier league enters the business end, Arsenal is clearly showing signs of lethargy after topping the table for an extended period of time.
The three consecutive draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton have damaged irreparably the Gunners premiership title ambitions.
This is baffling given that Arsenal managed to dispense with strong premiership sides in a congested fixture schedule when the Gunners were also competing in the Europa league.
Currently Arsenal is only playing one premier league match per week, but the results are disappointing.
What then is the problem with Arsenal?
William Saliba’s absence is hurting the Gunner’s defence.
Saliba got injured while playing against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa league sometimes back and the Gunners seem to have lost their defensive solidity since then.
Rob Holding has stepped in for Saliba, but his defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes has been underwhelming to say the least.
The two centerbacks seem to be shaky and vulnerable.
One wonders how the duo will cope with the marauding Manchester City when the two sides meet at the Etihad later this month.
Arsenal is getting overwhelmed by pressure from Manchester City.
Winning the English premier league requires a team to exhibit strength, consistency and the ability to cope with massive pressure, especially towards the end of the season.
There are times when the premiership winner is decided on the last day of the season and the pressure can be nervewracking.
Pep Guardiola’s side is in a sparkling run of form after storming into the UEFA champions league semi-finals at the expense of Bayern Munich, and winning their premier league games convincingly against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester city.
Arsenal on the other hand has dropped six points against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton, blowing the premiership title race wide open.
The Cityzens are breathing fire down the Gunners necks, and the pressure seems to be taking its toll on Mikel Arteta and his young players.
Arsenal’s tactical naivety is letting them down.
Mikel Arteta’s footballing Philosophy is based on ball possession (tiki taka) and high pressing attacking football. This season, Arteta has employed the 4-3-3 system with devastating effect.
However, to win games in modern soccer requires a team to balance between attacking and defending. Arteta is obsessed with attacking even in games where Arsenal is leading with a few minutes left to play.
Against Liverpool, for instance, the Gunners conceded the equalizer in the 87th minute. The biggest weakness with Arsenal this season is poor game management especially when in a winning situation.
What can Arsenal do to prevent a catastrophic meltdown?
During the 2022 season, Arsenal lost the opportunity to play in the Champions league this season after losing winnable games against Brighton, Crystal palace and Southampton.
Mikel Arteta can prevent a repeat of this embarrassment by undertaking several tactical changes.
Switch to a back three 《3-4-3》formation until Saliba returns
Saliba’s absence at this stage of the season is a big headache for Arteta. In the match against Southampton, Arsenal conceded a goal just a couple of seconds after the game got underway.
One way of dealing with this problem is by playing with a back three, comprising of Kieran Tierney, Jacob Kiwior and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Zinchenko can play as a left wingback with Ben White featuring as the right wingback. Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey can play in the middle of the park. Gabriel Martinelli can be utilised in his usual left wing with Bukayo Saka on the right and Gabriel Jesus playing up top.
Arsenal should enlist the services of a sporting Psychologist.
Under the tactical periodization methodology which Arsenal utilises, a manager is required to focus on four aspects of football that is, the physical, psychological, technical and tactical components of the game.
It is expected therefore that the Arsenal coaching staff has a sports Psychologist or two. Mikel Arteta needs these experts now more than ever before, to equip his youthful players with skills such as resilience and composure to handle pressure and high expectations.
The Gunners certainly need psychological help to manage performance anxiety, away games, difficult opponents, temporary setbacks and season defining matches.
Arsenal must learn how to kill off games.
The Gunners must learn to be nasty when in a winning situation. The 2:2 draw with West Ham should never have happened if Arsenal hopes to lift the premier league. Killing off games can be accomplished by outscoring and outperforming opponents the way Manchester city does.
Alternatively, the Gunners should learn to absorb pressure, defend with resolve and frustrate opponents when in a winning position.
Aggression, intensity and concentration are mandatory tools for any side that aspires to win the English premier league.
If Arsenal can put in place these tactical changes, then they can put up a decent fight in the premiership title race or at least qualify for Champions league football next season in the worst-case scenario.
Kennedy Mwanzia
