West Ham United 1-3 Arsenal: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2019-20

#3 Do Arsenal even care about defending anymore?

Xhaka was again poor defensively

Over the past decade and a bit, Arsenal and their defensive frailties have been well-documented and they’ve been laid bare for witness rather regularly. Thus, when the Gunners finally bid adieu to Arsene Wenger, the Emirates faithful longed for a more defensively sound side.

Yet, a year and a half later, they still find themselves at similar crossroads with plenty of evidence pointing towards an inexplicable spiral downwards. And, while the North Londoners emerged with three points from the London Stadium, their shortcomings at the back again hogged the limelight.

The first goal came about when Arsenal failed to clear their lines sufficiently, meaning that the Hammers recycled the ball and created a crossing opportunity. Subsequently, Ogbonna got a run on the static defenders as he powered home the header, albeit via a massive deflection.

Rather alarmingly though, the Gunners, at times, lacked the desire and the stomach for a fight. On numerous occasions, the West Ham players waltzed past them while the visitors were just content to dangle a leg, as if to show that they tried making a challenge.

Moreover, several of their players ducked out of strong challenges with the opening goal perfectly embodying that fact. Despite Ogbonna finding himself in space, the likes of Calum Chambers, Granit Xhaka and Maitland-Niles abysmally turned away from the flight of the ball.

Sokratis too, was quite woeful defensively, courtesy his failure to apply the requisite pressure and his tendency to either drop too deep or get too tight to his man.

Also, after giving away the ball countless times, the Gunners’ players didn’t showcase enough hunger to win the ball back and atone for their errors.

The past fortnight has seen Arsenal fans endure sleepless nights discussing about the club’s prospective search for a manager and the subsequent philosophy that he might bring to the table.

Yet, if they keep foregoing the defensive aspect and fail to portray the right attitude required for Premier League games, even the footballing gods, let alone a world-class manager, might not be able to save them from impending doom.