Martinelli and Bellerin helped 10-man Arsenal draw 2-2 with Chelsea on Tuesday as the Gunners stayed in the middle of the Premier League table, 10 points outside the Top 4 and 7 points above the relegation zone.
Photo credit: http://www.arsenal.com
The Gunners were lucky to salvage a point at Stamford Bridge because it was one-way traffic after Luiz’s ejection in the 26th minute. Chelsea finished the game with 19 shots to just 2 for Arsenal. According to understat.com, the Blues had 3.27 expected goals compared to 0.57 for the Gunners.
Arteta made only 1 change to the side that drew with Sheffield United last weekend with Bellerin replacing Maitland-Niles in the starting lineup. Kolasinac and Sokratis were still unavailable while Aubameyang was serving the second of a 3-match ban.
I thought Arteta’s team selection was questionable. Emery did not play Mustafi in the Premier League this season. Ljungberg gave Mustafi 1 start before leaving him out of the starting lineup. Why Arteta started Mustafi after his shaky performance against the Blades is a complete mystery. Holding could have played alongside Luiz in the heart of the defense.
It would be a mistake to persevere with Mustafi because that could kill the team’s morale in the long term. Arsenal fans know that Mustafi always has a mistake in him. You can bet that his teammates know it, too. Maybe Mustafi can revive his career, but he would need a change of scenery. The German defender looks like a haunted man every time he screws up.
Slow to react
Chelsea capitalized on a blunder from Mustafi to take the lead. Chasing a long ball from Kovacic in the 26th, Mustafi underhit his back pass to Leno. Abraham intercepted the ball and dribbled past Leno before Luiz brought him down. The referee gave Luiz a straight red card because the Brazilian defender killed a scoring chance and made no genuine attempt to play the ball.
It was a bit naive from Luiz to believe that he could get away with it. The VAR review confirmed the referee’s initial call and Jorginho opened the scoring by converting the subsequent spot kick. Mustafi also lost a key duel on Chelsea’s second goal. Azpilicueta got ahead of Mustafi to meet Hudson-Odoi’s cross in the 84th and side-footed it past Leno for a 2-1 lead.
Arteta’s game management was poor. As a young manager, the Spaniard is still learning the ropes. Whereas Emery sometimes jumped the gun too quickly with his half-time substitutions, Arteta has been slow to react to changing circumstances.
When Sheffield United switched to a more attacking formation a few days ago by replacing Lundstram with Robinson in the 67th and Basham with Besic in the 76th, Arteta waited until the 82nd before calling Guendouzi to replace Ozil. Unfortunately, Fleck equalized for the Blades in the 83rd, forcing Arteta to cancel the planned substitution.
When the Gunners were down to 10 men at Stamford Bridge, Arteta moved Xhaka into the centerback position, leaving Torreira completely isolated in midfield. It was no wonder that Torreira started cramping in the 74th. The Uruguay international basically had to run for two. It was only in the 55th that Arteta took Ozil off to send Guendouzi on. Xhaka did OK at centerback but the more natural move would have been to replace Ozil with Holding by the 26th.
The future face of the club?
Arsenal played with a low defensive block in the second half, hoping for counterattacking opportunities. Martinelli seized his chance in the 63rd when Mustafi cleared a corner. The Brazilian teenager sprinted some 80 yards from his own area to skip past Kante and beat Kepa with a low strike.
Martinelli sprints past Emerson and Kovacic to chase the ball. (Photo credit: Sky)
Martinelli scores from 17 yards. (Photo credit: Sky)
Martinelli became the first teenager since Anelka to score at least 10 goals in all competitions for the Gunners in a single season. Nowadays, Emery has become a hated figure among a lot of Arsenal fans but he definitely deserves some credit for speeding up Martinelli’s development by starting him in the Europa League and the League Cup while giving him some playing time in the Premier League.
The Arsenal board should extend Martinelli’s contract and give him a raise because he’s performing better than some of his overpaid teammates. You can bet that Martinelli’s agent will get some tempting offers from the big clubs this summer. Frankly, Martinelli’s potential is so great that he could become the face of the club like Henry 2 decades ago.
Chasing a winner, Lampard switched from a 4-3-3 formation to a 4-4-2 system by replacing Kante with Mount in the 69th and Willian with Batshuayi in the 79th. Arteta reacted quickly by sending Holding on for Pepe in the 81st. The Gunners’ switch to a back five did not prevent Chelsea from taking a 2-1 lead in the 84th. But Bellerin saved Arsenal from defeat with a left-footed shot into the far corner in the 87th.
Luiz conceding a 3rd penalty
Arsenal can thank Leno for keeping them in the game. The German goalkeeper made 6 saves, parrying Hudson-Odoi’s snapshot in the 32nd, palming away Willian’s effort in the 73rd, stopping Abraham’s header in the 77th and turning Barkley’s header around the post in the 80th. Leno may not be at the level of Alisson or Ederson, but he’s definitely better than Kepa, the Chelsea goalkeeper.
In the heart of the defense, Mustafi was at fault for both goals. His work-rate was good but he simply has too many mistakes in his game. Mustafi failed to mark Abraham in the 77th and gave the ball away in the 12th and 52nd. The Arsenal board must find a way to offload him this summer. The obvious problem is that no club will want to match Mustafi’s weekly wage of £90,000.
Playing alongside Mustafi, Luiz didn’t cover himself in glory either. Luiz has already conceded 3 penalties this season. The Brazilian defender was struggling before his ejection. He gave away a cheap free kick by shoving Abraham from behind in the 3rd and lost a key duel against the Chelsea striker, who headed the ball straight at Leno in the 15th. Known for his ball-playing abilities, Luiz’s passing accuracy dipped to 61.1% at Stamford Bridge. Signing a centerback will be a top priority this summer. Luiz, Mustafi, Sokratis, Chambers, Holding and Mavropanos are nowhere near the level of Koscielny in his prime.
Bellerin’s impact in the final third
In his return from injury, Bellerin was also given the armband. The Spaniard had a hard time on the right flank with Willian. The Chelsea winger rounded Bellerin in the 63rd to make a cross that was cleared by Guendouzi. Ten minutes later, Willian cut inside Bellerin to test Leno. Bellerin was dribbled past 3 times, tied with Martinelli and Kovacic for the most by any player according to whoscored.com. His marking on set pieces was poor, too. Christensen beat Bellerin to the ball in the 10th to head a corner wide. Then Bellerin was not tight to Rudiger in the 15th when the Chelsea defender redirected a corner toward Abraham.
Despite the relative lack of sharpness, Bellerin still managed to win 44.4% of his duels and made 7 defensive actions (2 tackles, 1 block, 2 interceptions, 2 recoveries), according to the club’s website. Arteta thought about replacing Bellerin with Maitland-Niles in the closing minutes, but he changed his mind and let Bellerin finish the game. With his weaker left foot, Bellerin scored the equalizer in the 87th with a curling shot from 20 yards. That kind of offensive contribution is the reason why Bellerin is ahead of Maitland-Niles in the pecking order when both players are fit. Maitland-Niles can match Bellerin defensively, but offensively Maitland-Niles doesn’t have Bellerin’s impact in the final third.
In the leftback position, Saka had a decent game. He led Arsenal players with 11 defensive actions (5 tackles, 6 recoveries) and won 73.3% of his duels. The matchup with Hudson-Odoi was a tricky one. The Blues deliberately targeted Saka because he’s not a defender by trade. In the 3rd minute, Hudson-Odoi ran past Saka, who misjudged the flight of a crossfield pass. Then Saka failed to stay with Hudson-Odoi, who played a one-two in the 7th. The academy player was also not tight to Hudson-Odoi in the 89th as the Chelsea winger created a scoring chance for Batshuayi.
Ozil’s lack of desire
Arteta has mostly used Saka as a wingback lately, but Luiz’s ejection meant that Saka had very few opportunities to roam forward. Saka combined with Martinelli in the 2nd only to send a cross-shot wide. In the next games, Saka will have to cut his turnover rate. He led all players with 7 turnovers, according to whoscored.com.
Tuesday’s game was not made for Ozil. His lack of desire in the 5th was outrageous. Pepe made a pass to Ozil, who lost possession by waiting for the ball to reach his feet. When the Gunners were down to 10 men in the 26th, Arteta decided to keep Ozil on the pitch even though his team was a man short in midfield and needed more work-rate. Ozil had 0 key pass and 0 shot before Arteta took him off in the 55th. Arteta seems to believe a lot in Ozil, but the German playmaker’s level has dipped in the last couple of years. Arsenal simply can’t rely on a 31-year-old player to create chances. The club needs a Plan B this summer.
I felt bad for Torreira because Arteta’s reluctance to make a substitution in the first half meant that Torreira was isolated in midfield. Torreira only made 7 defensive actions (1 tackle, 1 block, 1 interception, 4 recoveries), not because he was lazy, but because he was outnumbered. The Uruguay international finally received some support in midfield when Guendouzi came off the bench in the 55th.
Xhaka started in central midfield but Luiz’s ejection led to a change of position for the Switzerland international, who played the last 65 minutes as a centerback. The Gunners made up for Xhaka’s lack of pace by playing with a low defensive block, depriving the Blues of space in the final third. Xhaka showed good work-rate with 10 defensive actions (2 tackles, 1 block, 1 interception, 6 recoveries).
Martinelli’s composure
It was a frustrating game for the forwards, who had to work their socks off. Martinelli, Lacazette and Pep combined for 1 shot and 0 key pass. You can rely on Lacazette for putting in a shift. Lacazette made 10 defensive actions (3 tackles, 7 recoveries). On the right wing, Pepe initially created a lot of problems for the Chelsea defense with his pace and dribbling skills. Emerson was booked in the 21st for a cynical foul on Pepe, who led all players with 4 successful dribbles out of 6, according to whoscored.com. Pepe played Lacazette clean through on goal in the 72nd. The French striker shot past Kepa but his goal was disallowed because he was in an offside position. Pepe became less relevant from the moment Arsenal had to defend. With only 4 defensive actions (1 tackle, 3 recoveries) in 80 minutes, Pepe’s work-rate was much lower than Lacazette’s and Martinelli’s.
Besides the solo goal, Martinelli also made 9 defensive actions (3 tackles, 1 interception, 5 recoveries). He’s the perfect example of a player who can both defend and attack. His composure to beat Kepa after an 80-yard sprint was exceptional. It’s a quality that Iwobi and other promising players missed. The only blemish in Martinelli’s performance was his passing accuracy of 57.1%, the lowest percentage among outfield players. Arteta replaced Martinelli with Willock in stoppage time as the Gunners needed fresh legs to prevent Chelsea from scoring.
The Gunners next face Bournemouth in the FA Cup on Monday before visiting Burnley in the Premier League six days later. Holding might start against the Cherries since Luiz will be suspended for a game. Both Aubameyang and Luiz will be available again for the Burnley game. The Gunners still have a slim chance of qualifying for the Europa League by finishing 5th or even 6th in the Premier League, but they would need to get back to winning ways quickly as there are only 14 league games left.
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