So we now have Paul Merson weighing in on the current arsenal squad, the "Defence that is a shambles" and how we are headed for a thrashing and he may be right. But even if they do get thrashed occasionally that doesn't mean that they are not doing well. Defenders have two jobs. One is to not give up chances, and the other is to make sure that the chances they do give up are difficult to score from. They have to compete for headers and rush opponents making crosses and shots. It wasn't so many seasons ago that Leicester won the title with a defence very similar to ours; a defence that looked very shambolic at times. The characteristics of that team that created chances, and put them away, but gave up low-quality chances by the bucket-load, are very much the same as our new team. I don't know if our current run will continue, whether it will continue against any of the other top 6, or whether it will be enough to finish anywhere in the top 4. But I do like the way that we seem to be scoring from a high percentage of our chances and our opponents are scoring from a low percentage of theirs. So before we get too critical of our defence let's try and remember that the opposition aren't missing penalties here, they are missing chances and they are missing them because they have an incoming block, a goalkeeper in their face, a defender jumping with them for the header, or because the cross they are trying to put in was contested, so that it couldn't be in the perfect spot. Maybe the new Arsenal defence is about bending but not breaking. A rigid defence like Mourinho's isn't working too well nowadays either, is it? One final point, the more opponents get worried by our counter-attack, the better our defense will get. Perhaps the new manager knows that the best defence is a good fast attack that keeps a defender from making a run forward, or makes him think when he does get forward, "I'd better make this one count, because I wont get many opportunities this game!" Anyway that concludes my case for the defence.
We conceded 1 in our last 4 games, so the defence must be doing something right. I think we're improving gradually as the whole team get used to Emery's tactics, but I have to say, we look a lot better playing a back 4 with a DM sitting in front. Also been really impressed with Holding, he's a starter for me now. And goes into the team alongside Sokratis when he's fit.
Well, you know I have done a lot of pleading on behalf of Mustafi. He is involved a lot and that can be good and bad, but he is always stepping up and trying to make plays. I think Holding doesn't make a lot of mistakes, but he doesn't do as much and so that means he isn't around when blame has to be allocated, but he also doesn't do as much positively either. If you look at the comparison between the two, per game, Mustafi is making 5x the tackles Holding makes, half as many more clearances and aerials, slightly more interceptions and slightly fewer blocks and fouls. That tells me Mustafi is stepping up into attackers more. I think it is going to be a bit like Xhaka last year. He is always around a screw up, but he is also accepting responsibility, not going missing when their is work to be done. You think we will be better off without him, but in reality no one is available, to carry the load when he is not on the pitch. Anyway, I hate having to defend or attack players, it is a team game and I don't think it is half as easy to allocate blame and praise in a match as most people seem to.
Defenders are under the spotlight for mistakes as they are usually highlighted when they concede a goal. I think Mustafi is looking a lot better than he did last year, and maybe that is down to the overall improvement we're gradually seeing under Emery.
Merson is a waiste of space. The defence looks to be improving to me. Emery seems to want the fullbacks to start quite high which means the two deep midfielders have to sit back when they push up. Torreira seems to be managing this well, he is tactically excellent and seems to be growing game by game. Leno has also come in after the first few games and given the defence a boost. (For a GK he is excellent with the ball at his feet) I think most Arsenal fans feel that Mustafi is a weak link but Sokratis looks a good signing - strong and decent on the ball. Also people seem to forget Koscielny will return (likely before Christmas) - the guy is our best defender and team Captain. I think a Sokratis/Koscielny pairing could be pretty damn solid.
I think Merson has a point BUT we need to stay on the positive side of things. Fine, we have conceded quite a number of goals but we are progressively improving. I will disagree with him saying we could get thrashed by better sides because I think the version of Arsenal has a more resilient mentality. Yes we may lose but thrashed(?!) I don't think so. The WHOLE team is getting better at defending with the likes of Lacazette, Iwobi, and Welbeck doing a great job of closing down. Only thing I would accept from his statement is just to be vigilant and not get carried away by a run of good results.
I am still not entirely convinced by our defence, but that's mainly because we are prone to individual mistakes from playing it out of the back or players carelessly gifting possession away in dangerous areas of the pitch. It's easier said than done and it's probably an obvious thing to say, but if we can cut these stupid errors out, the confidence will permeate throughout the team. Torreira has been a massive help in stabilising us, though. Not only is he tenacious and aggressive, but he is good with the ball at his feet too. It's been a while since we've had a player who has these capabilities. In fairness, we have kept 3 clean sheets in the last 5 games. So that is somewhat reassuring. But one thing we do need to improve on is knowing how to play an offside trap. Too many times players hit us on the counter or get in behind our defence because one player or the other is not aligned in position with the others. I'm hoping that will come with time.
