Thursday 24 November 2016 09:19, UK
Charlie Nicholas insists Arsenal's rhythms and fluency from earlier in the season has gone following their 2-2 draw with PSG on Wednesday.
The draw means PSG are in pole position to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League in first place, meaning a difficult last-16 draw for the Gunners once again.
Nicholas, who watched the game in the Soccer Special studio, says Arsenal should have kicked on for a third goal when they went 2-1 up at the Emirates, only for PSG to equalise through Lucas Moura.
"When it went to 2-1 with a fortunate own goal from [Marco] Verratti, you thought they'd kick on a bit. You knew the counter attack and force that PSG had, they could get a second goal.
"They created the space, and it's a half decent second half from Arsenal, but their rhythm and fluency from three weeks ago has gone. Everything is hard graft at the moment, having to work overtime.
"Defensively I thought the centre-backs [Laurent] Koscielny and [Shkodran] Mustafi were really lazy, I don't know if they were worried about [Edinson] Cavani, but they were really slack at times.
"And Arsenal, when they don't start well, go sluggish and sit in, thinking they can find their rhythm, it doesn't work like that. It doesn't fit them.
"They had to drag themselves back in it at Old Trafford, I'll give them that, but they were really so poor in that game, and they have been like that. Against Spurs they got themselves 1-0 up and by the end are hanging in. That's three or four weeks."
Arsenal started with Olivier Giroud up front at the Emirates, with Alexis Sanchez alongside Alex Iwobi and Mesut Ozil in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
But Nicholas says he is still confused as to what Arsenal's best formation is, and also insists they must start games better than they have been in recent weeks.
"It falls back into this pattern; what is Arsenal's best formation? Is it Giroud up front? Sanchez up front? [Theo] Walcott's pace on the right?
"People are saying there is a stronger mentality, and that Arsenal would have lost those games last season or the last five seasons. But if you don't start well, you can't get fluency into your game.
"Arsenal are a team who have to hurt you with momentum and fluency in the last 30, 40 yards of the pitch. That's where they do their damage, that's where they're exciting.
"But if you get them on the halfway line, and they pass it with too many touches, they become an average side."
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