A three week break. Was it needed for Arsenal? Perhaps.
While they no doubt would have liked to have bounced back from that defeat to Brighton ASAP, it gave them a lengthy period of time to reflect and diagnose what on earth went wrong at the Amex.
A clash against Leeds was not the easiest manner in which to repair the damage. Coming into this game, Daniel Farke’s side were fifth in the Premier League and unbeaten.
They are unbeaten no more. Despite a tricky clash where the Gunners went 1-0 down, Mikel Arteta’s side rallied to secure a precious 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
Why Arsenal’s depth can win them the league again
Last time out against Brighton the Gunners were made to look incredibly inferior. Their defence has been hailed as the best in Europe in recent years but they were no match for Fabian Hurzeler’s men.
Brighton’s press was first class. They made Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes look incredibly feeble in the middle of the park.
However, in truth, Arsenal’s attack was perhaps the biggest issue. They were slow and lacking inspiration. A lack of investment over the summer could be to blame.
Indeed, that same factor was at play for over an hour of their match with Leeds. From that defeat three weeks ago, Arteta made two changes but they were vital ones.
Myles Lewis-Skelly came back into the team in midfield. There is a sense that his press resistance, particularly in a transitional game such as this and the one against Brighton, is of huge value.
Likewise, Noni Madueke started on the left. With Christos Tzolis out injured, Eberechi Eze was expected to come into the sided but it was his England colleague who was preferred instead.
While the game changed for the better when Lewis-Skelly came off, Arsenal were more difficult to play through than they were last time out.
Ultimately, however, it was their immense depth that pulled them through. Just after Riccardo Calafiori’s equaliser in the 62nd minute, Arteta was able to call upon Jurrien Timber, Viktor Gyokeres and Bruno Guimaraes.
Gyokeres has been criticised immensely this season but stretched the play well and immediately pegged back the Leeds defence more than Kai Havertz had done. Guimaraes, however, was the real star of the show.
Struggling? No bother, Arsenal can casually just throw on one of the best midfielders in the world to help pull them through. That’s exactly what he did, scoring a lovely winner with 20 minutes to go.
It was a devastating impact and it showed the full value of their depth and their mental fortitutde to keep on going. As Leeds defender James Justin said post-game, Arsenal’s mentality is “unbelievable.”
Why £52m Arsenal star is like a new signing
Over the summer Arsenal got things wrong. Sure, they won their opening four Premier League matches and everything looked rosy.
Yet, how they let three forward players go and only brought in one replacement defies belief.
They wanted Morgan Rogers, they felt they had a chance of acquiring Vinicius Junior too. Arteta even reportedly had a phone call with Julian Alvarez. Somehow, they only ended up with Tzolis.
The Greek has impressed, registering four assists in the opening weeks of the new season, but after he picked up an injury representing his country over the international break, there were fears, particularly after how abject the Gunners had been in the final third against Brighton.
Those fears also spawned from Eze’s early season performances. He registered an assist against Ipswich in one of his two starts this season but in truth, he did not have much to do. He laid the ball off to Max Dowman who danced around Gary O’Neil’s defence before finding the net.
The fact is that Eze is not a left winger. It explained why, for just the sixth time in his Arsenal career, Madueke played from the left on Saturday afternoon.
It was a gamble from Arteta but in all honesty, the former Chelsea man was never going to be any worse than Eze has been.
Well, it feels as though Madueke likes playing against Leeds. Last season, he scored and registered an assist in the clash at Elland Road. He was not among the goals on this occasion but he was arguably Arsenal’s most impressive attacker on Saturday.
|
Madueke vs Leeds |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
59 |
|
Accurate passes |
33/39 (85%) |
|
Key passes |
4 |
|
Accurate crosses |
5/6 |
|
Successful dribbles |
2 |
|
Progressive carries |
11 |
|
Possession lost |
12x |
|
Shots |
3 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Ground duels won |
2/5 |
|
Aerial duels won |
1/1 |
Speaking after the game, Arteta revealed that Madueke has “raised his level”, further stating that “in training he’s been the best player in the last ten days.”
So, the £52m signing deserved his chance and he more than took it. On another day, he no doubt would have had an assist because during his 90 minutes on the field, the 24-year-old completed four key passes. Five of his six crosses were also accurate.
Madueke is always a livewire and he proved as much this weekend, completing both of his dribbles.
The dynamics are very different when he plays in that role. Tzolis and Eze will look to cut inside but Madueke, being left footed, always looked for the byline. It was like having a classic winger in that position. In the process of registering a whopping 11 progressive carries, he simply proved too hot for Leeds to handle.
Arsenal were craving an elite left winger over the summer and while Madueke may not be cut from that sort of cloth, he has given Arteta a much needed solution in that third of the pitch. He’s like a new signing.
