Arsenal’s hope of finishing in the top 4 suffered a major setback as they lost 3-1 to Wolves on a night when all of progress made under Unai Emery fell apart. There was no coordination among the players and they looked jaded throughout the game. It was reminiscent of the Wenger era where the Gunners enjoyed a great deal of possession but failed to create any substantial chances.
The 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday was too much to take for the Gunners but this defeat to Wolves opens the door for a lot of questions. Unai Emery made 7 changes hoping that his team will counter the threat provided by Wolves’ counter-attacking football and for much of the first half, Arsenal played with rhythm and composure. But Wolves took all their chances and made it difficult for Arsenal to make a comeback.
#1. No answers for Wolves’ counter-attack
Emery’s men had a lot of possession in the first half and Mesut Ozil was starting to make an impact on the game but Ruben Neves’ brilliantly taken free-kick pegged the Gunners back and they lost confidence after that.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was never in the game and he lost possession in crucial areas of the field. Neves and Diogo Jota were a nightmare to the Arsenal defenders, who failed to cope with their pace. Emery has always found an answer in the second half of the game but it was not the case against Wolves.
With no Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to bank on, Arsenal had limited options in attack and it makes a strong case for some good summer recruitment. Arsenal are short in numbers and with games coming thick and fast, they cannot afford to lose confidence at an important juncture of the season. We have to wait to see what Unai Emery does next.
#2. Maitland-Niles and Mkhitaryan have a poor night
Jota and Spanish wing-back Jonny Otto gave a torrid time to the young Arsenal wing-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Maitland-Niles has looked composed throughout the season but we all know that right back or wing-back is not his natural position and he is bound to make some mistakes.
The fact that it was Mkhitaryan who was supposed to give Maitland-Niles the protection he needed and he himself had a bad day, meant that Arsenal were weak on their right side. And Wolves took advantage of this.
#3 The brilliance of Ruben Neves
Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, seen as a vital cog in the Arsenal machinery at the start of the season, are not living upto the expectations as the season’s end nears. Torreira made many clumsy tackles and Xhaka lacked the distribution he has shown so many times this season. Ruben Neves, meanwhile, had an excellent time as he kept looking for an opportunity to run at the Arsenal defence.
Neves has been the more defensive in the Wolves trio in the midfield but he has taken the responsibility well for the team and showed the Arsenal midfield what exactly should be done in a big game. His ability to absorb the pressure and then react at the right moment has been an asset for the high flying Wolves team.
