Photo credit: Getty images/ David Price

By Paul Stevens

Arsenal got the job done away to Slavia Prague on Wednesday night. If ever there was a dictionary defining “tale of two halves” it was this game.

In the first, half Arsenal produced a classy and relentless display of both attacking football, controlled midfield possession and the solid defensive dominance that everyone comes to expect from Arteta’s Arsenal.

Then came a worryingly lax, lethargic and frankly unprofessional second half that could have been incredibly costly. The ghosts of Fleetwood Town returned, and the Gunners completely lost any control of the game.

Slavia made changes at half-time and the home side dramatically lifted both work rate and intensity off the ball.

Slavia were also much more measured and assured in possession and once the ‘Arsenal complacency gene’ kicked in, the Gunners just could not get going.

Arsenal had chances to kill the game off and admittedly the Slavia goal came late. However, I cannot help feeling that the Gunners could drop unnecessary points going forward if Arteta allows his team to play like that in the second half.

There were big positives to take from the game and a few alarming points which I have listed below:

Pros:

Another away game ticked off and another critically important three points secured.

No obvious minor, or serious injuries picked up.

Arsenal moving up the UCL table into third place at the halfway mark of the league phase.

My player in focus from the pre-game preview, Martin Zubimendi, impressed by playing the full match and playing well.

Both Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres produced such remarkably improved performances that I have renewed hope going forward the pair have a future at the club beyond the summer.

Zubimendi won all six of his first duels and ended with six of eight duels won in the full match. This was a performance to build from and hopefully Zubimendi can start against Hull in Arsenal’s next match.

Cons:

Declan Rice playing another full ninety. The player looked shattered by the hour mark and I feel he needed to be rested. The physical toll is showing but more so, the relentless mental burden on the player needs to be reduced in my opinion.

Like Rice, Gabriel has played a substantial number of minutes and is in dire need of rest. While yes, Slavia is a tough away ground in the Champions League, the Czech side are now on a run of 22 games without a win in the UCL.

It feels like exactly the kind of game both Rice and Gabriel should be able to be rested, which perhaps points to the game state.

The ghosts of Fleetwood return. What I mean by this is solely talking about the entire second half. I am struggling to understand the cause of such a decline. Simply put, whatever that second-half display was, it must stop, or Arsenal will begin to drop points in games – needlessly in my view.

Key Moments

Arsenal started well and led the game within just nine minutes. Viktor Gyokeres produced a magnificent half-volleyed flick-on that set Noni Madueke running through on goal. Madueke coolly slotted the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs to open the scoring for the Gunners.

Mikel Merino then missed two big chances, first heading the ball over the Slavia crossbar. The second chance came following a slick Arsenal move down the right side and a wonderful Ben White cutback, which Merino fired tamely at the Slavia goalkeeper.

Finally, Arsenal found a second goal which came in the 38th minute. Declan Rice played a fast ball forward into Gyokeres, who played a ‘one-two’ pass with Merino before spinning in behind the Slavia defence. Gyokeres glided past two Slavia defenders scrambling to stop him before curling a sensational strike into the far corner to make it two nil.

In the 41st minute, Gabriel had a headed effort cleared off the goal line in a frantic last-ditch defensive action from the home side.

Stat Focus

In the first half, the dominant Arsenal recorded 60% possession. An XG (expected goals) tally of 1.28. The Gunners had eight shots, four of which were on target and had created a staggering six big chances.

While Mikel Arteta’s men had been exceptional going forward, the team had limited Slavia to just 0.11 XG with the home side having just one shot in the entire half, none on target.

All that changed in the second half.

Incredibly, Slavia recorded 2.00 XG to Arsenal’s 0.21. The home side had a staggering seventeen shots, six of which were on target and created four big chances!

The Gunners managed just four shots, with one on target in reply. The second half statistics really highlight the complete lack of control that Arsenal managed and had Arteta’s side been facing tougher opposition, the game’s result could have been remarkably different.

 Star Player

I usually try to highlight one player for this section. However, Gabriel Magalhaes, David Raya and certainly the official man of the match – Declan Rice – would all be worthy winners, but I want to highlight Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres.

While I am far from Madueke’s biggest fan, having been immensely critical of the player. Not of his work rate or commitment, but his end product. The final actions, crossing or shooting, have been a frustrating watch.

However, in the first half, Madueke was, dare I say it, Saka-esque. He was confidently beating his marker, delivering dangerous balls into the box and the way he took his goal was first-class. Then, his link-up play with Gyokeres was incredibly encouraging. Arteta may have stumbled on a new way to play.

Now I turn my attention to Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish goal machine stunned me with his first-half performance. I did not believe that he was able to play such an effective centre-forward role in this Arsenal side.

It is abundantly clear that Arteta views Kai Havertz as the Gunners’ number one striker; the German played in the Champions League final, the Community Shield and at Anfield last weekend.

Havertz is Arteta’s big game player and he has done well in those matches; that cannot be argued. However, Arsenal simply did not score either goal against Slavia with Havertz on the pitch instead of Gyokeres.

It wasn’t just his fine back-to-goal assist for Madueke, or his intricate one-touch link-up with Mikel Merino, or even the way he took his goal that was my biggest takeaway. Gyokeres’ all-round hold-up play was assured, as was his skilful link-up with several Arsenal players.

It was his one-touch flicks around the corner, the Arsenal attacks that he began after successfully holding off his opponent and bringing others into play that were so impressive. Arsenal finally had an effective outlet from Raya’s long goal kicks which had been missing in recent weeks.

It sounds like faint praise for doing what most under-14 forwards need to be doing but this was the first time in a long while that we have seen Gyokeres produce such an effective attacking display.

It shows how deadly the striker can be if the team is set up in a slightly different way. Gyokeres needs players close to him; he wants to chest Raya goal kicks to a teammate, or produce the type of incisive flick-ons that assisted Madueke for the Gunners’ opener.

Positive Signs.

A Look Ahead

Arsenal now turn their attention back to the Premier League in the final game before the November International break.

Mikel Arteta’s side hosts 11th-placed Hull in Saturday’s 3 pm kickoff at the Emirates Stadium. While I do not expect him to start, Arsenal were boosted by the return of William Saliba, who has returned from his back injury ahead of schedule.

The Frenchman took his place on the bench against Slavia and has already played in a ‘behind closed doors’ friendly. Saliba’s return will be a perfectly timed boost for the team as it enters the busiest time of the season.

Arsenal’s opponents, Hull, have made an impressive start to the season. The Tigers have only won two games from the first nine, against fellow newcomers Coventry and a shock win at home on the opening day against Manchester United.

It is the impressive five draws that have propelled Hull up the Premier League table. Chelsea, Newcastle, Villa, Everton and Brentford have all dropped points to the Premier League new boys.

Hull boast the 7th best defensive record in the entire division and have scored ten goals in nine played, conceding just eleven in return. The side have had numerous goal scorers as well, rather than being reliant on one or two key players.

Hull have only lost two games in the League, a narrow 1-0 loss away at Fulham and a tight 2-1 away at St James’s Park versus Newcastle.

This time last season, Arsenal started November strongly with a 2-0 win over Burnley, but the team dropped four big points away at Sunderland and away to ten-man Chelsea. Two seasons ago the Gunners also drew 1-1 away at Chelsea, but also dropped more points losing away to Newcastle.

Traditionally, it has been a mixed bag in November for Arsenal and despite playing away in ten out of the first fifteen games in all competitions, Arteta’s Champions have a gruelling run up to Christmas.

After Hull, the Premier League returns on November 21^st. In a span of just over four weeks Arsenal play; Newcastle away, Dortmund (UCL) home, Manchester City home, Brentford away, Tottenham away, Real Madrid (UCL) home, Bournemouth home and Manchester United home.

Eight enormous games in effectively thirty days.