After pre-season spent distracting themselves with Euro 2020 and Tokyo 2020, Arsenal fans welcomed the 2021/22 Premier League season. As their club prepared to open the campaign with what looked to be a winnable trip across the city to newly-promoted Brentford, there was a sense of optimism in the air. Three points would send the Gunners to the top of the league, at least for a few hours, and would breed confidence in the ranks. That optimism quickly disappeared.
Football backers checking out the pre-season odds and researching the best online sports betting reviews found Arsenal were solid favourites to beat Brentford. Pundits expected them to give the Bees a rude awakening to life in the top flight of English football. As is so often the case with Arsenal, things didn’t go according to plan, with the team getting off to the worst possible start.
Gunners stung by battling Bees
Brentford marked their return to the division with an emphatic and thoroughly convincing victory over a neighbour that looked off the pace, lacking the fitness, determination, and leadership. The Bees hit the ground running, paying no heed to the reputation of their visitors or the predictions of the bookies. From the first whistle, they went on the front foot and throughout the 90 minutes looked the team that wanted it more.
They made the breakthrough on 22 minutes thanks to a low drive from Sergi Canos, a strike that seemed to rattle Arsenal. Instead of the away team rolling up their sleeves and fighting for an equaliser and way back into the contest, it was Brentford that looked the more likely to double their advantage. They did just that on 73 minutes through Christian Norgaard, who bulleted home a header to send the majority of those packed into the Brentford Community Stadium into dreamland.
Speaking to the assembled press in his post-match interview, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta described his extreme disappointment. The former Gunners midfielder was refreshingly honest when admitting his men got exactly what they deserved when leaving Brentford empty-handed. That won’t do much to heal a battered and bruised support, but they will be encouraged to hear their manager taking no prisoners and challenging the team to do better.
What must the Spaniard improve on if Arsenal are to have any chance of improving into the top-four of the Premier League this season and securing a return to Champions League football? We set out our three points below.
The team lacks leadership
Arsenal had a few key players missing, and that would affect any team at this level, but there was an obvious lack of leadership on Friday. When times got tough, and the Gunners went a goal behind, Arteta could be seen on the edge of his technical area, but that passion failed to make its way onto the field of play. The team needs leaders, experienced men who have been over course and distance and know how to turn things around.
No presence in the box
The lack of presence in the box disappointed Arteta, but it enraged the fans. The defence looked all at sea for set-pieces and was bullied for the opening goal after a long throw. There were too many players passing the blame and not enough willing to put their bodies on the line to command the box.
Misfiring attack fails to take chances
The stats show Arsenal finished the match with 65% of the ball possession at 22 shots at goal. The fact they put just four of those attempts on target sheds light on why they failed to score on the road. A weak defence coupled with a shot-shy attack spells trouble for Arsenal ahead of a crucial season.
Team must respond
Arsenal are renowned for their strong starts to the season, but they’ll have no time to reflect on Friday’s defeat. They make their home league debut on Sunday in a London derby match against Chelsea. The Blues got off to a strong start when beating Crystal Palace 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on matchday one.
Thomas Tuchel’s men sparkled in that match with three different scorers as the Champions League winners underlined their Premier League title credentials.
