Arsenal were leading against Sheffield United for most of the game but they gave away a late equalizer ultimately sharing the spoils.
French forward Alexandre Lacazette spoke after the match about how the North London club should be less naive. Speaking to RMC Sport(via Metro), he said:
“They were not very dangerous but this match summarises how we are this season. We are winning the match but don’t get it over the line.
“We are quite naive at the moment. We need to be nastier and more consistent in the 90th to 93rd minutes of matches.
“Especially when we can do better than this. We have the players required. It is a shame.”
The Emirates club have let some matches slip away in the later stages recently with an example being the game against Chelsea. The Gunners were leading until the 80th minute but conceded two late goals.
Lacazette’s point about the club needing to be nastier has to be thought about by the whole team. Sometimes you need to be a little crafty in breaking up play, disrupting the opposition’s rhythm to win.
Manchester City are amazing at this part of the game which is popularly known as tactical fouling. And on the basis of Mikel Arteta’s first few games, the Gunners seem to be slowly transitioning to that kind of play.
Arsenal need to get back to winning ways if they are to make it back into the Champions League. The year started off on the right note as they beat rivals Manchester United. But since then, they have not been able to win a Premier League match and that will be a little concerning for Arteta.
The North Londoners will be playing Chelsea on the 21st and this will be a great chance for the club to make a statement against their local rivals. Chelsea are currently 10 points ahead, so this will be one way to reduce that deficit.
Arsenal have looked promising under Arteta’s leadership, it is just that the team has to ensure that they keep their heads up for the entire game. If they are able to do that, the Champions League is still a possibility.
