Long journeys into the depths of the footballing wilderness rarely make for a comfortable night’s work and so it proved for Arsenal as they toiled to a narrow win at Bodo/Glimt.
The Norwegian side have a pretty impressive record at both the domestic and European level so coming away with a win was no mean feat but it felt like we owed a little more to luck than we might otherwise have liked.
In truth, it was a performance that was almost the antithesis of the victory over Liverpool; it lacked intensity, co-ordination and penetration. Where we were slick and precise at the Emirates on Sunday, we were sloppy and wayward on Thursday.
Aside from Bukayo Saka’s goal – itself indebted to a sizeable slice of fortune – it was an error-strewn performance that lacked the sort of level we have come to expect from Mikel Arteta’s men this season.
In some ways it is tempting to blame heavy rotation for sluggish performances but, in truth, this was a stronger side than Arteta might have wished to field and it was probably a good job that he did. Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, and Gabriel Martinelli were all pressed into action from the bench on a night when the manager would probably rather have kept them on ice.
However, even with a handful of our leading lights on the field we struggled to really get a grip on the game. And while the first half at least had a little end product to offset its lack of lustre, the second half was a painful watch.
Eddie Nketiah cut a frustrated figure up front, devoid of service and support, while the midfield was simply out-contested by the hosts.
Fortunately for Arsenal, Bodo’s relative lack of quality in front of goal spared them a real scare. On two or three occasions the hosts might have seriously tested Matt Turner but, mercifully, they fluffed their lines.
As it happens, I’d say the American had his best game in an Arsenal shirt and, hopefully, banished a few doubts about his abilities. He was our man-of-the-match on the night and it was a timely occasion on which to find some form.
Arteta, I suspect, will de delighted to get away from Norway with all three points and I doubt he’ll want to spend too long chewing on a performance that lacked in pretty much every department.
If we’re looking for positives, however, we can at least say we found a way to win ugly, to ride our luck and make the most of our chances on what was a difficult night. There’ll be plenty more of those in the weeks ahead.
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