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Match report – Player ratings – Arteta reaction
Generally it’s not simple to know the place to begin after a recreation like final evening’s, however this morning it’s fairly simple.
Aaron Ramsdale’s mistake within the first minute gifted Southampton a purpose. I don’t know for certain whether or not or not he ought to have saved the shot, however I do know he positively shouldn’t have given the ball away. He tried the troublesome cross to Zinchenko when he had centre-halves in area both facet of him, and received punished to the utmost. Rob Holding ought to be telling him his keeper he desires the ball, not pointing to probably the most troublesome possibility.
After the final two video games, we would have liked a assured begin, as an alternative we shot ourselves within the foot. I believed we confirmed a little bit of response with a driving run from Gabriel Martinelli rousing the group, however within the 14th minute Southampton scored once more. We had been careless in midfield, there was an excessive amount of area for them to run into, and Theo Walcott did a factor that he did for us numerous instances in his profession. His run off the again of Gabriel was glorious, the end scientific.
0-2 down in 14 minutes. This isn’t what title chasing sides ought to do. I imply, it’s not what any facet ought to do, however within the context of the previous few weeks this felt notably unhealthy. Then we clicked. Martin Odegaard fed Saka down the correct, he blistered past his full again, pulled it again and Martinelli was there to volley house first time. A extremely beautiful purpose. A very good time to attain.
Nevertheless it was Southampton who threatened once more. Ramsdale needed to make a double save. There was a stoppage for an harm, and in the direction of the top of the primary half we got here shut. First Gabriel headed over, earlier than a Ben White header from a nook was cleared off the road, and I’ve to say I believe it’s top-of-the-line clearances of that sort I can keep in mind. The way in which the defender received throughout because the ball was drifting in the direction of the highest nook was each tremendously annoying and admirable.
At half-time Southampton took off their finest participant and placed on one other defender to go to 5 on the again. It’s a little bit of a threat to do it on the break, moderately than late on, nevertheless it labored for them. Regardless of dominance of possession and territory, we didn’t have a single shot till the 69th minute. The stark actuality of that’s that they went 3-1 up within the 66th. From a nook we shouldn’t have conceded however did when Partey was sloppy in possession, Holding allowed his man to get goal-side too simply. He then flicked the ball to the again publish, the place the defending from Zinchenko and Saka was static, permitting the Southampton man to thump a header house and lengthen the lead. Ugh. It’s so primary, it hurts.
The possibility we had instantly afterwards must have been a purpose. Martinelli, who made 6 key passes in addition to his purpose, put one on a plate for Gabriel Jesus however the end was poor as he blasted it over the bar. By that point we had introduced on Leandro Trossard for Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese was the person given the nod within the absence of the ailing Granit Xhaka, nevertheless it’s honest to say this recreation handed him by. If Xhaka is lacking once more, Arteta has to take a look at one thing else. Whether or not it’s Trossard because the 8, and even Zinchenko in midfield with Tierney at left-back, Vieira has demonstrated he isn’t prepared but. Definitely not at this level of the season.
We huffed and puffed nevertheless it felt just like the cost had gone out of our batteries. If the stadium sounded quiet, who might blame the followers there? It was not purported to be like this. Deflating. The wind had gone out of our sails. Eddie got here on for Zinchenko, and with 5 minutes of regular time remaining Reiss Nelson changed Martinelli, which simply added to my worries about Emile Smith Rowe who was, at the least, warming up this time.
Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Jesus utterly missed a header. In some way, he ended up with six photographs to his title, nevertheless it’s not an evening he’ll keep in mind fondly. Half-hearted shouts for a penalty on Saka, nevertheless it wasn’t, and with two minutes of regular time remaining it seemed finished and dusted. Nevertheless, Odegaard performed a 1-2 with Ben White and fizzed a shot into the underside nook. 2-3.
HELLO SAILS, IT’S ME AGAIN, MR WIND!
It’s principally unimaginable to clarify why we performed the way in which we did for such lengthy durations of this recreation, after which additionally clarify how we did what we did within the final 10 minutes – together with 8 minutes of harm time. I’ve talked a bit lately about how loopy and random soccer may be, how a second can utterly change the momentum. The Southampton followers who had been OLEing and doing the Poznan (I imply, I’m all for the bantz however stick that shit up your arses), had been swiftly chewing their fingernails.
Moments later we fed the ball into their field, it got here again for Nelson whose shot was saved however Saka was there to slam it house and make it 3-3. And there was plenty of time left to capitalise on this momentum. It virtually occurred. Trossard hit the bar with a shot that might have dipped below if he’d been a few yards additional out; Nelson noticed an effort deflected simply large, doing a dance of frustration after it whizzed previous the publish; there have been a few scrambles the place only a toe or a contact or scrappy poke would have seen it go house, nevertheless it didn’t. Jesus went down, received up once more, prompt resurrections, none of those falls had been positively a penalty however typically within the mayhem a ref can get caught up, nevertheless it wouldn’t go in.
It didn’t go in.
And in the long run, as the ultimate whistle blew, I felt this bizarre sensation of each exhilaration and crushing disappointment. How might you not get swept away that remaining interval of the sport? However you knew as quickly because it was over that these had been two extra factors dropped, and the implications for the title problem had been appreciable.
I believe that duality was evident within the supervisor post-game the place he – as he has tried to do all through this season – accentuated the positives and instructed his gamers he cherished them, however was straight up in regards to the points:
Giving the ball away and conceding one other purpose from one cross, however you possibly can’t concede three targets on this league. If you concede three targets in the way in which we did, a extremely sloppy method, it’s extraordinarily troublesome to win matches.
It’s clear that defensively we have now to do issues higher, and to not concede three targets the way in which we have now.
We’re conceding too many targets, it’s so simple as that. Sure, we miss William Saliba, however he’s not a one-man band. The collective effort must be higher to make up for his absence, and particular person errors are hurting us. You possibly can see efforts made to offset a few of what we miss in possession with the Frenchman in the way in which Thomas Partey dropped deep, virtually as auxiliary centre-half, however on an evening when the opposite facet of your central midfield is light-weight because of the absence of Xhaka, you want him to be principally flawless and he removed from that.
So much has been stated about what Zinchenko and Jesus have introduced this season, and that’s completely proper, however I believe each had been beneath their finest final evening. Hopefully they’ll make up for it on Wednesday. We simply had just a few too many gamers who didn’t give us what we all know they’ll, and while you couple that with primary errors in opposition to a crew scrapping for Premier League survival, you get punished.
That stated, I believe we have now to provide credit score to our two 21 12 months outdated wingers who proceed to ship whatever the circumstances. They had been the leaders final evening, together with Odegaard who sparked into life and virtually lit the hearth below one other unbelievable comeback, however as Arteta says, you possibly can’t concede three targets at house and hope to win video games on this league. Even in case you have that type of high quality on the flanks.
With Metropolis developing on Wednesday, this high-stakes recreation has turn out to be much more so. We knew we needed to get one thing from this one, after dropping extra factors we virtually positively have to win it. It’s a tall-order contemplating our file in opposition to them and … effectively, contemplating them on their very own, and so they’re the worst doable crew to face while you’re experiencing defensive wobbles. I’ve to have a sliver of hope that one thing mad can occur, however my intestine tells me one thing else, and I’m certain that’s a sense shared with a lot of you this morning.
We at all times knew there have been going to be bumps within the highway as we fought for our first title in 19 years, however these bumps can depart you feeling nauseous and car-sick. Which roughly sums up the place I’m this morning.
Until tomorrow.
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