Last summer, Eddie Nketiah was available for transfer and almost joined Crystal Palace. Last week, he turned down a contract to stay at Arsenal. And then last night, he came on ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club captain to whom manager Mikel Arteta awarded a three-year deal in the summer of 2020.
From the outside, it is difficult to understand.
If you were already concerned about the absence of a coherent strategy for Arsenal’s attack, then their performance in this 2-1 away loss to Everton will have confirmed some of your fears.
When Gabriel Martinelli pulled up with a hamstring injury midway through the second half, Aubameyang appeared the obvious replacement for a player operating on the left wing. Arteta told his post-match press conference he selected Nketiah to go on instead because the 22-year-old “does every day in training what you see him do here”. We can presume he meant the general business, rather than the glaring miss.
It wasn’t just the Nketiah decision that was odd.
Alexandre Lacazette lasted 85 minutes up front despite not mustering a single shot at goal. Nicolas Pepe’s omission feels painfully pointed — he has now been an unused substitute in six of the last seven Premier League games. Last night’s slight to Aubameyang follows him being substituted at Old Trafford on Thursday when Arsenal were chasing an equaliser with 10 minutes of normal time to go.
“I think there will be a problem with Aubameyang after this game,” speculated Gary Neville on Sky Sports’ broadcast of the match. “He won’t like Nketiah coming on before him. There’s always a bit of a bug between him and Arteta. It’s turned a little sour and I bet if Arteta could move him on for some money, he would, and if Aubameyang could get out, he would.”
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Goals are a problem, but it is about more than goals. A persistent attacking threat changes the dynamics of a game — it allows a team to gain territory and momentum, to exert pressure and tire out opposition legs and minds.
According to Opta, Everton’s comeback means Arsenal have lost consecutive Premier League matches having taken the lead for the first time since December 2016. Sometimes it looks as if they wilt in advantageous positions.
The reality may be that they’re currently incapable of keeping their foot on the gas pedal. Opposing teams grow in confidence as they realise Arsenal aren’t that dangerous. They have lost their fear factor.
It sometimes feels as if Arteta’s coaching of Arsenal has placed considerable focus on what happens in their own half. There has been an obvious emphasis on build-up play, on passing out from the back. It’s even reflected in their transfer business — there has been substantial turnover in the goalkeeping and defensive positions, at significant expense. But when Arsenal get over the halfway line, the structure and the plan becomes less clear.
Last night, it was not in evidence at all.
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But the uncertainty around how Arsenal intend to attack is the most troubling theme.
Arteta is yet to sign a striker in nearly two years in charge, but he did authorise the lucrative new contract for Aubameyang — a decision that currently, like the now 32-year-old Gabon international, does not appear to be ageing particularly well.
When that deal was sanctioned, what was the plan for the club captain? Last season, Aubameyang spent months on the left flank, before being switched into the centre-forward position. In Arsenal’s best spell of this campaign, he played just ahead of Lacazette in what was ostensibly a front two.
Now Odegaard’s return to the starting XI forces Arteta to choose between Lacazette and Aubameyang again — and in truth, the manager doesn’t appear particularly enthused about either option. The sense is that neither Aubameyang nor Lacazette quite fits the mould for Arteta’s vision. Playing them together has been a way of offsetting their respective weaknesses.
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Arsenal should be creating and scoring more with what they have available. The likes of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe are imperfect players — but they are surely better than this.
Arteta is keen on “specificity”, on having players who fit his meticulous criteria. Between transfer windows, however, he needs to work with what he’s got. And he needs to do better.
Goals are not the cherry on the cake or something to get round to eventually. Arsenal need them now.
Perhaps there is a centre-forward out there who could unlock this Arsenal attack, be it Calvert-Lewin or another.
Arteta had better hope so. At the moment, it’s not entirely clear if the Arsenal manager is capable of figuring it out himself.
