Kel Varnsen
Things change.
Injuries and form aside, the idea that the opposition will just let you keep doing what you’re very good at is naive. We started seeing it at times last season, speaking of which, what was our open play xG from the second half of last season?
‘They were causing havoc’ - what were they doing then that they are not doing now? Saka still held the width mostly, White’s overlaps were still restrained, Ode still held that same pocket of space he does now, and Partey wasn’t injured.
All of this is hard to prove either way. But here’s my prediction, feel free to bookmark it. At some point we will start to see the fluidity return to our football this season and our xG will increase to expected levels. The assumption on here will be that Arteta realised the error of his ways and taken off the hand break. The truth will be closer to a combination of us adapting to our new environment and the return of form and fitness of our best players.
And before you all pay me to tell your futures, I’m just predicting that was was said the season before last, and then last season when the football improved, will just repeat itself.