Qwiss I'm not overly concerned about this one game, in fact I'm not concerned about this game at all, but it is part of a wider issue that may become more important as time goes on.
Much of the concern about open play creativity is being laid at the foot of new signings yet to properly bed in and/or disruption through injury, with Odegaard being the key creative aspect of that (acknowledging last season's form).
But we're as reliant on Gabriel making the set pieces work as we are on Odegaard making the team tick. We can do it without him, but it's a lot less likely and pleasing on the eye. If Gabriel goes down injured, or we lost Rice or Saka's delivery, the set piece goals could dry up and where does that leave us?
There's got to be a middle-ground between what we're seeing and end-to-end basketball style matches (which nobody is calling for). Do we really think teams are paying us more respect than the City and Liverpool teams who were blowing the league away in the last few seasons? Those sides just had a bit more adventure and desire to put teams to the sword than we seem too. We've got an exceptional, generational defence that should allow us to cut loose a bit at times. Maybe that'll come this season. I hope so. I'd love to win the league with Saka being the star and taking the plaudits having had a Ballon D'Or worthy season but we're closer to it being George Graham and boring Arsenal. I'd take either, but I know what's better for my soul.
