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#2 Arsenal play at a pedestrian tempo
Grey skies welcomed the Gunners at the London Stadium. However, considering the firepower at Arsenal’s disposal, many expected them to lighten up the dull atmosphere. Yet, they contrived to make things murkier in their pursuit of the top four.
Arsenal fielded a back three with Kolasinac and Maitland-Niles lining up as wing-backs. Though the former contributed a little to the attack, the latter was barely visible in the final third and whenever he was, the Englishman was wasteful.
Additionally, Arsenal’s midfielders, Guendouzi and Xhaka failed to create any sort of rhythm throughout. The slackness in transition allowed the Hammers to get people behind the ball and disable the Gunners from getting in behind.
However, the most worrying aspect from the game would’ve been the way Arsenal reacted to going behind. Despite chasing the game for the majority of the second period, the away side never got on to the front foot and were inclined to play at their own speed.
Though things improved slightly after Ramsey and Torreira’s introduction, the Gunners looked a pale shadow of their early season self.
