At the beginning of February, Arsenal Manchester City struck 5-1 in a real declaration of intent for the run-in. However, March starts on a completely different foot.
Since that big victory on the Pep Guardiola side, the Gunners from the Carabao Cup have been beaten, lost their only available striker of a seasonal injury and now the Premier League seems out of reach because of the 13-point buffer of Liverpool.
It leaves the Champions League the last 16 draw with PSV Eindhoven as their last hope to save this season. But the Mikel Arteta team goes into a sour mood in the European knockout phases.
The recent loss for West Ham, when the stalemate at Nottingham Forest, meant that the Gunners did not score in back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time in almost two years.
The two displays represented the second and third-strict versions of the season of the season for Schoten on target percentages. “[Arsenal] Have become pretty rigid, they have sometimes become pretty turgid to watch, “said Gary Neville recently.
All seven defeats of Arsenal came during the 11 games when less than 28 percent of their shots are on goal. They are unbeaten in all competitions when they go beyond that number.
The losses were the individual eliminations of both domestic cup matches in January and all four of their Premier League and Champions League losses so far this period.
With the attack by Arsenal slips to the worst standards of the season, Arteta has a problem to solve. But the problem is that little firepower is available to remedy it, after the loss of first choice for three Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli to injury – plus Gabriel Jesus.
The absence of Saka is especially important in view of his ability to create great opportunities for the Gunners. The importance of the wing player of the England is not better summarized by the fact that he has just been overtaken in the list as Europe's high -quality Chance Chance -maker – despite the fact that he has not been playing since 21 December.
But the injuries of Arsenal at the front have also led to holes that have to be filled from elsewhere. Their current mud was encapsulated by the last few minutes in Nottingham Forest.
Midfielder Merino played 90 minutes in advance, left back Oleksandr Zinchenko came up in midfield with another left-sided defender in Kieran Tierney who appeared in central areas, after he had replaced a full-back in Riccardo Calafiori in the first half of the first half in the aid.
Arsenal's last impactsub looking for a winner on the city was right back Ben White, because the Creative Club captain Martin Odegaard was replaced in the same time.
Raheem Sterling – one of only three fit, recognized front line players for Arsenal – only received 13 minutes from the bank, replacing Ethan Nwaneri – the 17 -year -old perhaps the brightest spark of the groomers of the past weeks – due to overloading.
Improshift does not agree, but Arsenal and Arteta must find a way. The only question is: how?
One area has been added goals from midfield, which helped Arsenal last season. The rise of Declan Rice in Vorm helped Arsenal in sticky situations in the run-in last season, with the midfielder getting three goals and five assists in a series of 11 games between March and May.
The signs that rice can influence things at the top of the field are positive. No Premier League player has created more great opportunities since the beginning of the year than the midfielder of England.
But the other figure that Arsenal could turn is Captain Odegaard, whose withdrawal has been summarized in Forest an infertile run for the purpose of only one league goal and one competition help since the beginning of December.
Although the figures from Odegaard this season are actually comparable to his count after 19 league games last season – and this term was impeded by injuries and illness at critical times – the Norwegian Saka, Havertz and Co had to help. This season he is alone.
There is also the bonus of set pieces that are the most important skill of Arsenal, but again, their last set piece goal came in the Noord -London Derby victory on Spurs six weeks ago. The Gunners have also seen Aston Villa catch up in the goals of dead ball situations in recent weeks.
And there is also the argument that Arsenal is too dependent on their dead ball antics, led by set piece coach Nicolas Jover. “I felt that there was an obsession with set pieces that overtake almost the entire game,” Neville claimed.
But at the moment the Gunners virtually scrape the barrel for attacking Impetus – that they have to use all the positive and strengths they can get.
Another positive is that the rest of the team – outside the front three – is at full power. The Gunners also admitted the best expected goals that record in the Champions League this season, after they have only admitted three times in Europe.
“If you look at the teams that have been very successful, the defensive record is crucial, Arteta said Monday.” Then we have shown the capacity to score many goals in the competition. This team still has many resources to do that. “
With Europe the last chance Saloon for Silver Work this season, how far can those resources bring them?
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