Arsenal have stumbled badly in the last week but, if they’re to avoid falling over completely, the focus must shift to mending the midfield.
It was all too clear from the outset of Saturday’s abject defeat to Brighton that the Gunners had problems retaining control of the ball in the middle of the park and that was almost certainly down to the absence of both Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka from the key middle third.
It would be churlish not to recognise the part Brighton’s own marauding midfield played in taking control of proceedings but, for the most part, our shortcomings were our own and the result was a bitter blow to our Champions League aspirations.
The Gunners travel to St Mary’s on Saturday and if they are to avoid a drama turning into a crisis, they must find a way to reinforce their struggling midfield.
While I can see some logic behind moving Xhaka to left back for the Brighton game, doing so opened the door for Graham Potter’s men to repeat the success Crystal Palace had earlier in the week. Sambi Lokonga and Martin Odegaard were simply unable to compete with the three players deployed by the visitors in the middle of the park.
Retaining the ball became increasingly difficult and progressing the ball even more so. While Xhaka added some stability down the left, his absence down the left hampered us far more than any benefit that was gained in deploying him in defence.
This has to be a lesson learned.
When Xhaka moved back into midfield for the second half, retention of the ball was far better, if end product and progression continued to suffer.
As Brighton did, Southampton will seek to flood the midfield with bodies and take advantage of the perceived weakness in that area. Failure to address it will result in another disappointing performance and more dropped points, neither of which we can now afford.
Even if Mikel Arteta is unconvinced about Nuno Tavares in the long-term, he must seriously consider his re-introduction to the starting line-up, if only to free up our energy to work on midfield. Nuno is inconsistent, edgy, and mercurial but he remains a natural left-back and, on his day, can do a more than serviceable job.
I’m not saying we should throw caution to the wind but playing safe certainly hasn’t helped us and, with long-term injuries to both Partey and Kieran Tierney, weathering the storm is not an option either.
If we’re to stay competitive until the end of the season and not squander what we have worked so hard for, Arteta has to reconsider his options and come up with a system that will maximise our strengths and negate our weaknesses.
There is no more margin for error. Two weeks ago we were only looking up, now, we’re starting to peer over our shoulders. That won’t do.
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