Arsenal v Brentford Ratings by Peter Doherty
Hard to know what to draw from that game to be honest. There was no lack of endeavor from the Arsenal players and it was a significantly more energetic performance than against Everton. Despite having the overwhelming majority of the ball there was a definitive lack of cutting edge and Brentford had the more clear cut chances.
It is only fair to highlight the job that Thomas Frank is doing at Brentford. They were incredibly well drilled and were willing to commit men forward on the counter attack, so there’s a lot to admire there. It is worth noting that they went to the Etihad and deservedly picked up the three points there, so using that as a reference this can be viewed as a point gained.
Here are my ratings
Ramsdale (7)
Made a few important interventions and tried to keep the game flowing with quick distribution, but there wasn’t always outlets because of Brentford’s pressure. Could do very little about the goal.
White (6)
Struggled to contain Mbuemo and Toney, both of whom took turns to attack his wing. Hasn’t been the same force of late going forward that he had been earlier. Possibly needs Tomiyasu to step in for a breather.
Saliba (6)
Got stitched up beautifully by Toney for the free kick that led to the goal in a demonstration of the dark arts by the forward. Was exposed a couple of times as Brentford missed some clear chances.
Gabriel (7)
He has increasingly become the more dominant partner in the centre of defence as he gets into positions for clearances with great frequency.
Zinchenko (6)
Is an incredibly gifted technical operator but his decision-making left a lot to be desired as he frequently tried to force passes that weren’t on. His tendency is to drift infield which narrows the attack, and causes him to occupy spaces that Xhaka and Martinelli were being fruitful from earlier in the season. The Tierney option offers more width and should be used as a weapon in games like this.
Partey (7)
Possibly not as commanding as usual or incisive but still the most important cog in the midfield. His ability to sense the danger and then his timing in the interventions are a thing of beauty. This was particularly obvious at points where Brentford threatened to counter attack and he managed to somehow get the foot in.
Odegaard (6)
This was a game that cried out for a piece of Odegaard magic to break through the very impressive Brentford rear guard but he just couldn’t find that killer pass. That didn’t stop him delivering his usual effort level and applied himself with typical vigour.
Xhaka (6)
Was largely playing on the back foot despite our huge posession stats. As earlier stated there’s a suspicion that Zinchenko’s inverted role cramps his attacking influence as he doesn’t seem to feature in the box as frequently.
Saka (7)
Produced the one sublime moment that broke through the opposition’s defiant defence. Was constantly probing and kept recycling the attack. Never seemed to lose possession despite the close attention he received.
Martinelli (6)
Another less than stellar performance from our young Brazilian but like the rest of the attack stuck manfully to the effort. The feeling is that he needs an overlapping option in order to find the space to work his magic. Is in danger of losing his spot after Trossards successful cameo.
Nketiah (6)
Ran his little socks off for the cause, chasing down every lost cause going. Had one opportunity that suited him but the Brentford defender made an incredible tackle to prevent him getting his shot off. This type of game is where his predatory instincts were not given the chance to shine because of the quality of the defending.
All in all the team can’t be faulted for effort but Brentford turned in a damn good performance. How do you Gooners rate it?
Peter Doherty
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Just remember, this is not a poor run of form apparently just because our other games were really good.
One word for those denying that we aren’t playing well currently….delusional.
In my opinion, our players could only follow Arteta’s game plan, which was lack of options and plan B. Ramsdale was at fault for Brentford’s goal, but it was the result of Brentford’s successful park-the-bus tactic
Had we had someone like Giroud, Onuachu, Osimhen or Vlahovic on the bench, we could’ve been more dangerous in set-pieces and had a bigger luck in converting long crosses into good chances or goals. There is no way a team can always rely on open-play tactics to create goals, hence tall CFs like Haaland at Man City, Weghorst at Man United and Aubameyang/ Broja/ Havertz at Chelsea
We shouldn’t cry over spilt milk, so Arsenal had better make some variations while waiting for Jesus’ recovery. Zinchenko was trying to exploit the half-space, unfortunately he wasn’t in sync with his teammates. If I were Arteta, I’d train our players to explore this option further as what De Bruyne did at Man City
With all the focus on var zoom in on MA s tactics
If Arsenal play like this againstMc,they will find it hard to score and will probably lose.
Why?Mc defence is stronger and can hit on the break.Other teams have less possession and yet can win
The gunnerz need players who can run at the defence which can lead to space opening up
Martinelli or Trossard can do it from the left wing, but they need a CF with good hold-up play to play one-two pass. Since Jesus is still recovering, I suggest we try our luck with long shots from Partey, Xhaka and Odegaard
It wasnt our best game yesterday but we played well enough.we should have won and if Jesus was fit we would have won by 3 goals.Everton match is another story though
Zinchenko’s decision making was questionable, and his shots on goal were dreadful.
Time to introduce Tierney and Tomiyasu for a run of games, Zinchenko and White have both dipped recently.
Our attack is predictable, and Jesus is needed back in the lineup. Xhaka isn’t making the runs he was during the 1st half of season.
Time to drop a few players and tweak the tactics
Parteys was slow in possession, so we’re a few others.
Zinchenko offer no outlet to Martenelli, which White does with Saka.
White was also slow in decision making.
Personally, I think we missed a Jesus and Tiernay in this game.
This game reminded me of Wenger pass the ball around with no penetration.
Ramsdale does not deserve a 7, yes goal was offside but what was he doing rushing out flapping his arm like a flightless bird.
Arteta needs to start introducing players like KT, Tomi, Fabio. He has got to trust them to step up otherwise, I see some mental fatigue here.
When players get too comfortable with knowing their starters it really doesn’t freshen up the competitive side of things. Rotation for the next game should be prioritized and that is starting with Tomi and KT for the next match. My two cents
lets be honest, Arsenal are getting predictable. Every fullback now knows how to negate martinelli, and teams are doubling up on our wide players and closing down space quickly in thte middle to stop odegaard’s influence. This is why Jesus is needed back. He was always moving around and swapping with the rest of our forwards making us more unpredictable. Everyone is just so much more stagnant now. I’d give some points back to Ramsdale and our defenders btw since they did their jobs with the offside trap and the fault is with these cheating refs.
Hi all
We should try Trossard in place of Edide and Tommy in place of white
It seems every team now know how to play arsenal.
Arteta need to change tactics and introduce some players who offers something different. Tomi and Tieney.
I think zinchecko is more suited in the midfield than wing back. Dude was mis firing shots and taking reckless decisions but Arteta failed to sub him. White too was kind of slow, I think he needs some rest. Why Arteta persists with these two guys despite, I don’t know..
Saka and martinelli look like they need a games rest tbf saliba was awful yeaterday. Usually pretty solid. Ramsdale makes mistakes when he comes out flapping at the ball. Zinchenko.and martinelli dnt seem to play well together on the left….maybe worth shifting tierney bk at left back. Just my oppinion of what i saw yesterday
Saliba never as high as a 6, Toney beat him every time in the air and pulled him all over the park, a 5 at most but I’d give him 4. Sorry, but as much as I rate him, he had a bad day.
On what planet do you expect same starting 11 to always win the league? This draw was down to the manager no excuse
Saliba struggled against Toney and while he is a cultured footballer he has to realise that his primary duty is to shackle the opposition.He is still learning his trade but he has to realise that he cannot win every first ball and against someone like Toney and Haaland there are times when it pays to drop off rather than commit Xhaka is another who disappointed me and made little contribution particularly in the final third.The criticism of White is over the top He is not a naturally attacking RB and is obliged to move back to form a back three whenever Zinchenko operates inside which he does most of the game.I thought Partey, Odegaard and Saka did well but, once again, the front three, as a unit failed to interchange sufficiently to cause the resilient Brentford defence too much trouble.Overall, a disappointing performance and result.
Edu and Arteta slipped up in the January Transfer Window they should have bought a quality Striker.
So if they loose out on the Premiership Title they only have themselves to blame.
Team against City…
Ramsdale
Tomi. Saliba gabby Tierney
Partey
Odegarrd. Zinc
Saka. Martinelle. Trossard