Arteta admits to having concerns following slow start in West Ham draw

Alexandre Lacazette

Arteta admits to having concerns following slow start in West Ham draw

By Peter White

If Thursday night’s Europa League clash against Olympiakos had set pulses racing among Gunners fans, Sunday’s dramatic draw at West Ham back on Premier League duty saw stress levels hit a new high.  

Any suggestions that Arsenal should prioritise the continental competition had appeared to have got through to the starting XI in east London, who gifted the Hammers a 3-0 lead with little over half-an-hour gone.  

Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard - fresh from his England recall - put the hosts in front after just 15 minutes, before Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek goals looked to have put the game to bed.  

Defeat at the London Stadium would have opened up a ten-point gap between Arsenal and the fifth-placed Irons - and all but ended the Gunners’ hopes of qualifying for Europe through a top-six finish.  

But Arsenal pulled one back before the break after Alexandre Lacazette’s effort went in off Soucek, and a Craig Dawson own goal and another Lacazette strike completed the visitors’ comeback with eight minutes to go.  

Mikel Arteta’s charges finished the stronger of the two sides and should have arguably gone on to win the game, but although the Spaniard was pleased with his side’s fighting spirit he admitted the first-half display had caused him plenty of concern.  

“The first goal can happen, but their second and third goals are unacceptable,” he said. “I think we deserved to win at the end, but the first part of the game really worries me.  

“I don’t know if it’s a hangover from Europe - sometimes when you’re tired you lose your focus. I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t only one or two players that switched off, and we need to correct that dramatically.”

Mikel Arteta  

Despite acknowledging there is vast room for improvement, Arteta insisted the issues don’t stem from an attitude problem among his players.  

“I'm not worried about the culture because we've come so far on that. I've seen so many positive things to be content with what I'm saying,” he said.  

“After the first part of the game we showed great desire and togetherness, and it’s really difficult to do what we’ve done.”  

Following the draw against David Moyes’ men Calum Chambers was named Man of the Match by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, and Arteta agreed that the 26-year-old stood out from the crowd.  

Arteta also reserved praise for on-loan midfielder Martin Odegaard, who showed further glimpses of the qualities that have seen Arsenal fans call for his temporary switch to be made permanent in the summer.  

He added: “He [Chambers] has been training really well, and he was really good today. He’s a player who gives us something else and he was really efficient in the final third as well.  

“I love talented and creative players who are willing to make things happen. It's true that Martin is giving us something we didn’t have before.”  

While the point gained at West Ham lifted Arsenal into ninth, a win over sixth-placed Liverpool next time out (April 4) could see them launch a late charge on the European places, yet.  

If they can bridge the four-point gap between them and the defending champions and then carry that momentum into their Europa League quarter-finals first-leg clash against Slavia Prague, the start of April could be very rosy indeed.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Popular posts from this blog

What have we learned from Arsenal's pre-season so far?

Image
  Arsenal – what have we learned from pre-season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It only feels five minutes since Euro 2020, but incredibly we are just one week away from the new Premier League season starting. Arsenal will travel to newly promoted Brentford for a London derby in front of a noisy crowd next Friday night, not the easiest of starts to the new campaign. But what sort of shape are Mikel Arteta’s side in, going into what could be a defining season for the manager? We took a close look at what we have learnt from the pre-season period and what kind of shape the squad are in.   The new signings are ready to go It has been a mixed transfer window so far. Some fans would have expected more both leaving and arriving at the Emirates stadium over the summer. But positives can be taken - Ben White has arrived from Brighton for £50million, and highly-rated full back Nuno Tavares has come in from Benfica. Albert Sambi Lokonga completes the 2021 summer singings so far. Cruc...
Read more

Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves

Image
Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves By Jonny Bray It is hard to believe that Ruben Neves is still only 25-years-old.   It feels as if the Portuguese international has been tipped for big things for nearly a decade now.  With the midfielder out of contract in 2023, it appears his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers could be coming to an end.  Understandably, with a player like Neves on offer for a reduced price, clubs around Europe are queueing up to secure the international's signature.  So, after all this time, should Arsenal move for Ruben Neves now, or is it time for the Gunners to turn their attention to a new target?  What would he bring?  Arsenal do not have enough defensive midfielders.  Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka give Mikel Arteta plenty of midfield options going forward, but the Gunners have been found lacking when out of possession this season. Thomas Partey has been in and out of the side due to injuries, a fact that has not hel...
Read more

Where will Arsenal finish this season?

Image
Where will Arsenal finish this season? By Alec McQuarrie Arsenal have made steady improvement over the last few seasons under Mikel Arteta. After finishing 8th in his debut season, the Spaniard oversaw a five-point improvement in his first full campaign.  And last year an eight-point leap followed, which was unfortunately not enough to pip Tottenham to fourth place.  Cruelly, the 69 points accumulated would have been enough to seal Champions League qualification in the previous two seasons.  Looking at the trajectory over the Arteta era, it would be fair to assume a continued improvement this coming season.  After all, with five signings already secured this summer and Alexandre Lacazette the sole first-team player to depart, surely fourth place should be a bare minimum expectation.  Oleksandr Zinchenko offers much-needed cover at left-back and competition for central midfield.  Gabriel Jesus is a proven goalscorer and brings a tireless work-ethic to fulfil...
Read more