Sunday 12 February 2017 08:17, UK
Arsenal got back to winning ways with their 2-0 victory over Hull City, but were lessons really learned from last weekend's 3-1 defeat to Chelsea? Their defensive flaws remain an issue…
On the face of it, Saturday's 2-0 win over Hull City was a good day's work for Arsenal. The victory provided a boost for Arsene Wenger and his players after the trauma of their back-to-back defeats against Watford and Chelsea, and it also ensured they will finish the weekend in the Premier League's top four.
But while the result was just what Arsenal needed, the performance provided little evidence to suggest this is a team ready to put their struggles behind them. Alexis Sanchez was fortunate not to have his opening goal ruled out for handball, and the Gunners were clinging on before he scored his second from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
It could easily have been a different outcome. Arsenal missed chances to put the game out of Hull's reach in the first half, but their profligacy was not nearly as troubling as their defensive issues. Having been ripped apart by Chelsea time and again on the counter-attack a week ago, Arsenal were made to look just as vulnerable by a team in the relegation zone. Lessons went unlearned.
The warning signs were there as early as the second minute, when Arsenal's snoozing defence allowed Kamil Grosicki charge unchallenged down Hull's left flank. Only a desperate tackle from Laurent Koscielny prevented the winger from bursting into the box. It was a sign of what was to come.
Just nine minutes had passed when Hull released Lazar Markovic on the right after Alex Iwobi had carelessly lost possession near the halfway line. The Liverpool loanee fired a dangerous ball across Petr Cech's six-yard box. Hull would have been level if it wasn't for Oumar Niasse's slow reactions.
Arsenal carried plenty of threat going forward, but every time their attacks broke down it was the same story, with players out of position and large gaps appearing in their backline. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was critical of Arsenal's full-backs for over-committing against Chelsea, but they were at it again at the Emirates. "The amount of space for Hull is ridiculous," noted co-commentator Alan Smith at one point.
They weren't helped by wingers Iwobi and Theo Walcott, whose defensive displays left a lot to be desired. The latter was guilty of losing Marcos Alonso for Chelsea's opener last weekend, but that costly error evidently has not provided a wake-up call. On the quarter-hour mark, his failure to track Grosicki resulted in Cech having to make a scrambling save from Niasse.
The stats emphasised how much time Hull's wingers spent on the ball. Markovic and Grosicki had 35 and 34 touches respectively in the first half. Iwobi and Walcott, by contrast, had just 27 and 16. By the time the Arsenal duo were replaced after the break, their only defensive contribution of note was a single tackle between them.
A more clinical team would surely have punished their carelessness, but Hull couldn't make their opportunities count. A routine pass sent Markovic racing away again on the right-hand side shortly after half-time, but once again Cech bailed Arsenal out after the ball had found its way to Niasse.
It wasn't just on the flanks that Arsenal were vulnerable. On one occasion a lack of communication between Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi saw both centre-backs stepping out for an aerial duel with Niasse. The Hull man sent them tumbling to the turf as he won the header, with Gibbs forced to bring down the onrushing Markovic to prevent him from breaking through on goal. The yellow card could easily have been red.
Arsenal kept flirting with disaster. Markovic caused more problems on the break and substitute Adama Diomande missed two free headers in the closing stages. By the end of the game, the stats showed Hull had taken more touches inside the opposition box than in any of their previous seven games. It was a measure of Arsenal's vulnerability.
"Every season you have some problems or difficulties," a relieved Wenger told Sky Sports afterwards. "It's the way you respond and the way you deal with the difficulties." His comments suggested he was happy with the response and it's difficult to begrudge him that after the week he's had, but Arsenal's flaws remain. With a trip to Bayern Munich up next, Wenger has plenty to work on.
