Europa League
Arsenal Covertly Clean Up Mess From Embarrassing Night In Borisov
Too Close for Comfort
Have you ever seen a child mature enough to know better scramble to hide the evidence after wetting the bed? Have you ever been that child? Of course not, me either. But if so, you’d understand Arsenal’s mentality for the second leg of their Europa League tie against BATE Borisov. The club’s 1-0 loss in Belarus was one of the most embarrassing defeats in team history. The aftershock from their Eastern European nightmare could have been strong enough to ruin Arsenal’s season and cost Unai Emery his job.
Thankfully, Arsenal were the beneficiaries of two fortunate circumstances. Firstly, their rivals were too preoccupied with their own matches to fully appreciate just how banter-worthy Arsenal’s capitulation in Borisov was. The proximity of Champions League and FA Cup engagements along with the looming League Cup final kept much of their attention away from Arsenal’s shortcomings. While some abuse was understandably hurled at the Gunners, their misfortune never became the focus of the footballing world, which has happened with their failures so often in the past.
The second piece of good fortune was that the loss was only the first leg of a two-legged tie. Arsenal still had the luxury of the return match to overcome their deficit and progress to the round of 16. The Gunners knew if they focused they would be able to turn what potentially could be one of the most humiliating eliminations of an English team in European competition ever into merely an afterthought. The Gunners did just that, going about their business in a 3-0 win as quietly as possible. There was no pre-match guarantees. During the match, there were no choreographed goal celebrations. After the match, nobody made any guarantees. Only Arsenal’s harshest critics will remember the loss in Borisov years from now.
Emery Finally Makes Adjustments
The Arsenal fan base fully believed their side would advance. However, some seeds of doubt were planted as Thursday arrived. Scheduling the match at 6 PM meant it would be a diminished home crowd. Also, Arsenal’s best defender, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, was deemed not healthy enough to start. Furthermore, star striker Alex Lacazette was unavailable due to his dismissal in the disastrous performance in Belarus. Lastly, Arsenal had failed to score an away goal in the first leg. If BATE scored, Arsenal would need at least three goals to advance.
Emery was hired in part for his reputation as a Europa League specialist, having won the competition three consecutive years. Therefore, fans were horrified to see how poorly he handled his first pressure-filled match in the competition for Arsenal. Perhaps the Spaniard realized that being eliminated by a Belarusian side could cost him his job. He finally abandoned his contrarian ways and made the two changes fans had been pleading for.
Most importantly, he put his feud with Mesut Özil on hold. After being exiled from the lineup for a month long stretch, the German was given a start in his preferred number 10 role. Emery also returned to an attack-minded lineup featuring a back four. Arsenal’s conservative formation with five defenders has been ineffective at best this season. Deploying the defensive, negative formation against a significantly inferior BATE side in the first leg was extremely misguided. Despite the sensible changes from the coach, tension still hung thick in the air as the opening whistle blew.
Early Goal Just What the Doctor Ordered
Arsenal knew that the longer the game went without a goal, the more tense the stadium would become. An early goal would be pivotal. But where would it come from with the Gunners bereft of confidence? Lacazette was suspended, the goals had dried up recently for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the rest of the squad have struggled to score all season. Thankfully for Arsenal, they didn’t have to wait long for their answer.
Surprisingly, it was the visitors who obliged with an own goal only four minutes into the match. Aubameyang’s cross from the right slid past the nearest central defender and deflected in off the unsighted Zakhar Volkov at the far post. The central defender’s final touch would have been considered an astute piece of finishing had been at the correct goal.
The goal was massively important from an Arsenal perspective, but effectively killed the game as a spectacle. BATE knew they would have to be nearly perfect to get the result at the Emirates Stadium needed to go through. Scoring on their own goal minutes into the match didn’t fit the description of perfection. The goal visibly deflated the visitors and they hardly threatened the Arsenal goal for the rest of the match.
All Eyes On Özil
Arsenal still needed another goal to break the aggregate score line tied at 1-1. However, there was a sense of inevitability that the goal would arrive. Instead, the main focus of the match turned to watching how the team would perform with Özil in its ranks. Despite Emery’s best efforts to get rid of the German play maker, there is still a sense that the team’s ability to qualify for the Champions League will hinge on his famous left foot.
Though not at his magnificent best, it was a solid display from Özil. Perhaps a 6.5/10. He didn’t tally a goal or an assist, but the team is far more cohesive and a bigger threat going forward when he plays. His ability to find open spaces between the defensive lines was noticeable immediately. The attention he commanded from the defense opened up significant space for the rest of the Arsenal attack.
Still, it wasn’t a performance that will silence his critics. People will again claim his body language was poor, he didn’t go into any hard tackles, he didn’t celebrate wildly after the Arsenal goals, and he lacked the mentality his coach is apparently searching for. Whether or not Emery will play him Sunday against Southampton will again be the biggest question surrounding the club until that match.
Professional, but not all Positive for Gunners
In the end, it turned into a comfortable night and a professional performance from Arsenal. The goals that felt inevitable ultimately did arrive, but they arrived via two center backs from corner kicks. Arsenal have been struggling mightily to score goals from open play as of late, with Matteo Guendouzi and Alex Iwobiboth disappointing with their ability to create and finish chances. This was another chance gone begging for the pair to build their offensive confidence. Aubameyang too will be disappointed not to see his name on the score sheet.
While Özil helped to drastically improve Arsenal’s performance compared to their game at BATE, it still wasn’t wholly convincing. The Gunners win at home to Chelsea is arguably their only good performance in the last three months. This game didn’t break that concerning trend. Emery’s team still lack a discernible style and identity, a problem which has manifested itself via poor results. The team is running out of games to fix the issue.
Finally, because they failed to do the job in the first leg, Arsenal were unable to rest players for the pivotal Premier League match Sunday against Southampton. The team even lost Laurent Koscielny to injury in the match. The Gunners are not a deep team and fatigue could be an issue over the weekend against a Saints team that will be raring to go after two weeks rest. Ultimately, Arsenal will be happy to have this match behind them on a day when the result was far more important than the performance.
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