Opportunity missed for Arsenal as one player's form is a real concern
Sunday's draw at Fulham felt like a massive opportunity missed for Arsenal after Liverpool's game at Everton had been postponed earlier in the weekend.
It was a real chance for Mikel Arteta's side to close the gap on the league leaders and they couldn't take full advantage, which was a real blow. You could sense the disappointment afterwards.
I didn't actually think they played too badly. Fulham are a decent side who have had a good season so far and Arsenal completely dominated them in terms of territory and possession, but again the issue was they just didn't do enough with the ball in and around the final third.
It's an ongoing issue with this Arsenal side, especially when they come up against teams who set up in a low block. They just find it difficult to break teams down.
It was no surprise that the goal they scored came from a set piece, we know all about how dangerous they are from dead ball situations. But given how much of the ball they enjoyed in the Fulham half, they really should have done more with it.
On the whole, Arsenal don't struggle to score goals. They score plenty. They did last season and only Chelsea and Brentford have scored more than them in the current campaign.
The problem is in these really tight games, when teams are sitting deep against them, they can struggle to unlock them. They really do lack that mercurial X-Factor type player who can do something out of nothing and win a game on his own.
That's why I really wanted them to go for Michael Olise in the summer. I think he would have been perfect for this Arsenal team and was the exact type of player that they were missing. Nothing that he has done since moving to Germany has changed my mind.
Gabriel Jesus' form is a real concern as well. His cameo in the second half at Craven Cottage summed up where he is right now as a player.
He looks shot of any sort of confidence. When you throw a striker on at 1-1 midway through a second half you really want to see him influence a game. To get on the pitch and show why he should be starting.
But Jesus did the opposite. He could barely find his man when he was on the ball and when a half chance came his way from Declan Rice's clever pass, he didn't even swing his foot at it.
He was really poor and his ongoing struggle for form and confidence means that Mikel Arteta has little option but to continue playing Kai Havertz week in, week out and he is unsurprisingly now starting to look like he needs a rest due to the sheer amount of minutes he is being asked to play.
So there are clearly attacking concerns at Arsenal at the moment which will once again raise the question about why nothing was done to really bolster the forward options in the summer, aside from the late call to sign Raheem Sterling on loan.
They are justifiable questions as well and you do feel something has to be done to strengthen Arteta's options in the final third in January if they are to have a chance of keeping pace with Chelsea and hunting down Liverpool.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Enzo Maresca now The Arsenal of Italy When you see it… Arteta really thinks this. The difference The last time Man United won a European Trophy was when they played against… Andre Onana! James Maddison had a big night Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC...
Man City star McAtee in demand as Wolves eye £25m swoopWolves are reportedly eyeing a £25m swoop for Manchester City's James McAtee but face intense competition from Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.Leeds eye Raul to replace Farke!Real Madrid legend Raul has reportedly been approached by Premier League-bound Leeds despite Daniel Farke leading the club to promotion.Trossard to stay ...
Revealed: Conte's long list of demands to stay on at NapoliAntonio Conte has issued a list of demands to the Napoli board if he is to stay on as coach next season.Bayern could lose two key coaching staff membersBayern Munich and head coach Vincent Kompany could lose two key members of the coaching staff just days after reclaiming their Bundesliga throne.Chelsea in talks over move for €100m-r...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. UCL next year✅Liverpool✅Arsenal Which team will Gyokeres go to? Brighton 3-2 Liverpool Seven years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his final goal for Real Madrid. He finished with 𝟒𝟓𝟎 Inter were minutes away from overtaking Napoli in the title race……then Pedro and Lazio saved the day The Hansi Flick effect! Erling Haaland’s Shocking Record in ...
Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique has confirmed his star man Ousmane Dembele is fit for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal.Enrique had been sweating over the availability of Dembele for Wednesday’s fixture at the Parc des Princes.Dembele scored the only goal of the opening leg at the Emirates a week ago before he was withdrawn in the second half with a hamst...
Luis Enrique has warned Mikel Arteta he is ready to land his fourth Premier League scalp of this season’s Champions League ahead of Arsenal’s semi-final showdown against Paris St Germain.PSG saw off Manchester City in the group stages before beating Liverpool on penalties in the last 16, and then knocking out Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.Arsenal secured a statement 2-0 win against...
Jude Bellingham is confident Real Madrid can overturn a 3-0 first-leg Champions League deficit against Arsenal on Wednesday to book their place in the last four.Real were left stunned by the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium last week after Declan Rice scored two outstanding free-kicks to leave Carlo Ancelotti’s side with a mountainous task.But 15-time European champions Real have produced som...
Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique admitted his side would not be intimidated by a hostile atmosphere at Aston Villa as they looked to finish the job in their Champions League quarter-final.The Ligue 1 champions travel to Birmingham with a 3-1 advantage from last week’s first leg in Paris and are heavy favourites to progress to the last four.But they will face a sterner test on Tuesday as th...
Arsenal forward Alessia Russo has silverware in her sights as she prepares to take on Real Madrid in the first Champions League quarter-final of her career.The in-form England international is the second highest scorer in the Women’s Super League this season with 10 goals and has also registered five times in Europe.Arsenal – the only English club to have won the Champions League, foll...
Paris St Germain head coach Luis Enrique believes the team which prevails in their last-16 tie against Liverpool at Anfield will be Champions League finalists.PSG trail 1-0 from their first leg despite a dominant display at the Parc des Princes but the former Barcelona boss is confident they can turn things around on Tuesday.“The most important game is the one which comes next and I hope it ...
- 1 Man City withdraw and Liverpool could steal
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Man City target right-back Tino Livramento
- 4 Liverpool vs Crystal Palace Prediction 25 May 2025
- 5 Man United man makes stunning claim
- 6 Tottenham vs Manchester United Prediction 22 May 2025
- 7 Goodbye Jack Grealish?! Pep Guardiola axes Man City star from squad for crucial Fulham clash as transfer talk continues to swirl
- 8 Eberechi Eze is at it again as he helps Crystal Palace to victory against Wolves
- 9 Liverpool considering transfer swoop
- 10 Manchester United vs Aston Villa Prediction 25 May 2025