Arsenal have won two and drawn one of the three Champions League games they have played this season. They are placed ninth on the table and will be content with seven points out of a possible nine. The first match ended in a draw in Atalanta and The Gunners were lucky to hold on to a point, thanks to David Raya’s heroics. The next game was at The Emirates and Arsenal outclassed Paris Saint Germain. A thumping 2-0 victory with the first half being their best forty-five minutes this year.
Everything was clicking in attack even after the injury to captain and midfield maestro Martin Odegaard. Bukayo Saka was creating many chances and players like Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard started chipping in with goals. But during the last international break Arsenal suffered a huge blow. Bukayo Saka picked up a hamstring issue and was taken off less than 5 minutes into the second half. He did not feature in the next match against Finland. When he came to Arsenal, Mikel Arteta said a few positive things about his injury, but Saka did not travel with the team on gameday.
Arsenal, who were unbeaten before the match at Vitality Stadium, lost 2-0 to Bournemouth. A shock defeat before a very important game next week against Liverpool should’ve been a big motivator for the players to score plenty past Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. This did not happen, a sluggish performance against the fourth-ranked team in the Ukrainian League. An underwhelming 1-0 win, at home, against Shakhtar has shown how important Saka and Odegaard are to this team. Let’s talk about the game and also a little about Sunday’s big clash against leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal beat Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0
The Gunners were able to secure the three points in the midweek clash. The North Londoners outplayed the Ukrainians in the first twenty minutes but never looked in control after. They missed a handful of chances in the early part of the game but after Martinelli’s effort went inside the goal off the goalkeeper, it seemed as if they would bury the game with another one. The second goal never came.
Ben White was substituted to begin the second half after he got booked. Arsenal would’ve wanted to avoid another sending-off, their luck has been pretty bad with red cards this season. The Gunners looked sloppy in the second half but were given a chance to double the lead around midway into the second half. After a handball by Valeriy Bondar, the VAR awarded a penalty to Arsenal. Leandro Trossard stepped up to take it and hit the ball down the middle. The goalkeeper dived to the left but kept the shot out with his feet. There’s a whole debate about who should have taken the penalty and I too believe it should have been Kai.
This led to a tense finish with Arsenal trying to see off the opposition and protect the lead. An important save by David Raya kept Arsenal’s lead intact. The lack of spark in the attack was disheartening for the fans. Arsenal would’ve hoped to bounce back following a defeat against Bournemouth, but this was not the kind of response they would’ve hoped for. With an almost must-win for The Gunners on Sunday, a 1-0 win at home against Shakhtar Donetsk is not going to induce confidence amongst the supporters or the players.
Liverpool test awaits
Arsenal are at a time that won’t make their season but can surely break it for them. The margin for error has been minimal in the last few seasons because of Manchester City and Liverpool’s competence. Every single point is important. Four points off the top, if Arsenal lose on Sunday, they will be behind by seven.
Without Bukayo Saka Arsenal have been underwhelming, adding the loss of William Saliba for the Liverpool game makes it look even worse. They are expected to miss more key defenders and saying that it will be tough, would be an understatement. They need to dig deep and stay focused to get back on track.
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