Trossard’s Bold Declaration Regarding Man City: Winners and Losers Emerge from Arsenal’s VAR-Forgotten Brentford Draw
Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford at the Emirates Stadium includes Mikel Arteta, VAR, Leandro Trossard, and Nicolas Jover among the winners and losers.
Clearly, this is the case. Obviously, I said the same thing after Everton, but they went on to lose to Tottenham, so let’s hope history repeats itself, but Pep Guardiola will be hammering it into his players’ heads that they cannot afford another slip-up.
While the draw gives Arsenal a six-point lead, should City win their next two games, including Wednesday’s match at the Emirates Stadium, they will seize the lead on goal differential. The Gunners might go nine points clear with a victory over Everton in their game-in-hand if they do not score a historic victory on Wednesday.
Off the bench, he scored his first goal for the Gunners and strongly suggested to Mikel Arteta that he should start on Wednesday. He was in the right place at the right moment as he was the recipient of a superb cross from Bukayo Saka.
Arteta may recall that the brightest player versus City in the FA Cup loss was Trossard, who began the game. His deceptive runs and probable confrontation with Rico Lewis and Manuel Akanji should favor the veteran forward.
No, this is not some self-righteous “If Arsenal wins, football wins” statement. The Mail reports that VAR official Lee Mason “failed” to draw the lines when evaluating Christian Norgaard’s position on the field.
Did Arsenal have the right to win? There were numerous inadequacies listed here, but had the rules been followed, the result could have been different.
If the powers managing the technology that ensures accurate choices are made are not consistent or efficient enough to assure a fair game, football loses. Tomas Soucek committed a flagrant handball against Chelsea in the waning moments of their game, few minutes before Arsenal’s kickoff.
Serious inquiries must be made. VAR itself shouldn’t be and isn’t the issue, but the individuals who operate it make far too many mistakes with such high stakes.
Whereas Trossard thrived, Gabriel Martinelli regressed. The Brazilian’s form has been abysmal, and I myself hoped to see him climb out of it.
However, when a competitor scores, it is tough to ignore, and there must be a system in place that recognizes these times. Trossard replacing Martinelli on Wednesday would be a disappointment if Arsenal’s manager does not make the substitution.
It almost feels cliché to write that Arsenal misses Gabriel Jesus in these games, but this is only because it is true. Eddie Nketiah appears incapable of matching up with opponents who want to play a deep defense against the Gunners, whilst the Brazilian appears more capable.
Again, the striker battled to establish himself in the game without pressing himself into uncharted territory. Jesus is now practicing outside and running, but his return is not imminent, and it is unknown how he will return. In these cases, if the players cannot adapt, perhaps the system should.
Despite this, Mikel Arteta’s current system appears to be fairly inflexible. In two matches, the Spaniard’s tactics have failed to defeat a team that depends on defending deep and combining muscle with set-pieces to accomplish its goals. The substitution of Fabio Vieira for Granit Xhaka occurred with less than ten minutes remaining in regulation.
Kieran Tierney remained on the bench when his expansive wide play could have benefited the team. Add potentially the promising teenager Amario Cozier-Duberry for added danger. Arteta had options, but he chose not to utilize them.
Last season, Arsenal were renowned for their set piece defense, going the final several league games without conceding a set piece. However, in the present, Arsenal has conceded from set pieces in three consecutive Premier League contests.
Nicolas Jover, Mikel Arteta’s set-piece specialist, will need to work on improving his record in training. Recently, William Saliba has appeared less capable in the air, while Ivan Toney has dominated.
