Arsenal told changes to make as Arteta faces Southampton decision in title race
Arsenal have developed a habit of throwing away two-goal leads, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.
But whereas many forgave them for surrendering their advantage at Anfield in the face of a Liverpool onslaught, it was a little more difficult to excuse what happened at West Ham.
The Gunners were 2-0 up after 10 minutes at the London Stadium, and so returning to north London with just a point in their back pocket really wasn't good enough given the form of the relentless Manchester City who are chasing them down.
Arsenal are next in action on Friday night when they host bottom of the table Southampton, so can Mikel Arteta do anything differently in that game to spark his team into life?
We asked our Mirror Football writers whether Arteta should stick or twist.
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John Cross
Mikel Arteta definitely needs to twist.
Arteta made it clear he wasn’t happy after the game and told the players the same in the dressing room. That they didn’t stick to the plan and became complacent.
So, they need a change in the starting line-up to shake things up, to send a message to the players, and they’ve got options with Leandro Trossard, for example. Bukayo Saka looks tired and Gabriel Jesus played more on the flanks than at centre forward at West Ham. Thomas Partey was poor.
But I also think it’s obvious that the team has dipped since William Saliba has been out injured and there’s no immediate sign of his return.
Rob Holding has come into the side in place of the injured William Saliba (Getty Images)Rob Holding is clearly a very popular squad member and is solid enough. But they miss Saliba’s pace of recovery, his build-up play and the way he dictates play. I don’t think they would have let their levels slip at West Ham had Saliba been playing. He drives the team forward.
Saliba’s injury - coupled with Takehiro Tomiyasu being out - has really hit Arsenal at the worst time. They have to find a way of getting Ben White to switch to centre half to partner Gabriel as he did so well last season. White is excellent on the ball.
Whether that’s switching the full backs - Oleksandr Zinchenko should be back to face Southampton - or being creative with a wide player at full back, they have to find a way to get back to Arteta’s blueprint of build-up play and possession in Saliba’s absence.
Darren Lewis
Fortune and the fixture list have smiled on Arsenal with Southampton the perfect opponents for them to return to winning ways on Friday night.
Given the quality of the teams the Gunners have been up against, it would be an overreaction for Mikel Arteta to panic and make wholesale changes.
Liverpool are formidable at home and West Ham are returning to form just at the right time. For Arsenal, the more capable William Saliba would most definitely have started in place of Rob Holding had he been fit.
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But if you were to make changes, it would be more to keep players fresh for next Wednesday night’s title-defining clash at Manchester City.
Perhaps Leandro Trossard could allow Bukayo Saka to sit Friday night out to be fresh for next Wednesday night at Manchester City. Maybe Jorginho could replace the pivotal Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe could come in for Martin Odegaard.
But Arsenal will be way too good for Southampton and should win comfortably at home on Friday night.
If they were to drop points in that one then you really would have cause to be concerned.
Mike Walters
Don't fall into the trap of thinking Arsenal will collect three points on Friday night like picking apples in an orchard.
It's 'only' Southampton, right? That would be the Saints who held the Gunners to a draw at St Mary's last October, right?
If Arsenal don't win the title, they will look back in anguish at dropped points against struggling teams - Southampton, Everton, West Ham - as the most damaging blows.
They made the same mistake at the Taxpayers Stadium as they did at Liverpool by handing outplayed opponents a lifeline when reaching the break 2-0 up would have been a much stronger bargaining chip.
Although Granit Xhaka and Gabriel have gone off the boil, manager Mikel Arteta's biggest setback has been centre-back William Saliba's injury last month. They have not looked so secure at the back without him.
Arsenal had been in control of the game until Said Benrahma's penalty (PA)Should Mikel Arteta make changes for the home clash with Southampton? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section
Andy Dunn
This is no time for Mikel Arteta to panic. A victory over an increasingly forlorn Southampton on Friday takes them seven points clear, putting all the pressure on Manchester City.
Instead, this is the time for Arteta to hold his nerve. There might be a case for giving Bukayo Saka a break but this is a player who has already shown he can respond to adversity and don’t back against him atoning for that penalty miss at the London Stadium in style.
Thomas Partey is also suffering a dip but he is the type of player that is desperately needed against Manchester City, if not against the hapless Saints in four days' time.
And the stark truth is that Arteta does not have the quality in depth that Pep Guardiola has.
Yes, they have thrown away winning opportunities at Anfield and at the London Stadium but they have come through two difficult assignments unbeaten.
The players who have got them into this position will be fit enough, fresh enough and motivated enough to get them over the line.
Arteta is working without the resources available to Guardiola (Getty Images)Neil McLeman
The reason Mikel Arteta has consistently picked the same team this season is not only because it has been working. The Arsenal boss simply does not have much choice because of his lack of squad depth.
And taking just a couple of elements out of the team has shown how the side's effectiveness is harmed. Rob Holding has been exposed as William Saliba's replacement while Kieran Tierney is a fine player but not as good as Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Add a bad day for Thomas Partey at West Ham and they are not the same team over 90 minutes.
Martin Odegaard looked the only top-class offensive player against the Hammers.
Arteta will think about rotating against rock-bottom Southampton and starting Leandro Trossard, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Jorginho and Eddie Nketiah on Friday night - though that game now has added pressure.
But Arsenal need Saliba and Zinchenko back and firing - and Gabriel Jesus at his best - to face Manchester City in their title showdown next Wednesday.
James Nursey
Arsenal have had a brilliant season this term , way in advance of most people's expectations.
Despite their recent wobble, they are still top and have the title in their own hands.
Boss Mikel Arteta has shown previously he is not afraid to ignore public pressure and opinion by making tough calls - such as when he bombed out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
And I can't believe the Spaniard is going to rip up his blueprint and make major changes now.
Southampton's visit on Friday is the ideal game to lift the Gunners ahead of their crunch trip to Manchester City.
Arteta doesn't want to be going to the Etihad next Wednesday undecided on his best line up.
City have already beaten Arsenal twice this season - 1-0 in the FA Cup fourth round in January at Etihad Stadium and then 3-1 in the Premier League at Emirates Stadium in February.
Now is the time for Arteta to hold his nerve and stick with his tried and trusted stars if he is to have a chance of making it third time lucky against Pep Guardiola's defending champions.
Arteta will come face to face with Guardiola next Wednesday (PA)Felix Keith
One of Arsenal's major strengths this season has been the consistency of their selection. Mikel Arteta has rotated a lot less than his competitors and it has provided stability, which has undoubtedly been helped by a less demanding fixture list due to a lack of progression in other competitions.
Their frailties at West Ham were arguably exacerbated by the unavoidable absences of William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Arteta didn't know that Thomas Partey was about to put in one of his worst performances in an Arsenal shirt, or that Bukayo Saka was going to struggle to impact the game and miss a penalty.
But with only one competition to focus on there is no need to make wholesale changes - especially when it is bottom side Southampton up next. Dropping Saka after a penalty miss would not send a great message ahead of a match that will shape the title race, against Manchester City next Wednesday. Besides, beyond perhaps Jorginho and Leandro Trossard, there are no players banging down the door for a start.
Arteta has created a wonderful squad dynamic at Arsenal and they need to stick to their guns. It has worked so far and a comfortable win against Saints will give them the boost they need before the City showdown.
Tom Victor
It would be easy for Arsenal to panic after throwing away a two goal lead for a second game in a row, but Mikel Arteta’s comments after the West Ham game suggest he understands what went wrong. The question is whether he knows how to stop it happening again.
There was no fluency lacking in the Gunners’ play early in the games against Liverpool and West Ham - indeed, their start at the London Stadium was as good as we’ve seen from them this season. As Arteta recognised, though, a football match lasts 90 minutes, not 30, and that’s where his side needs to improve.
With that in mind, the seemingly inviting home game against Southampton might not be what his team needs. If Ruben Selles’ team are as limp as they have been in recent weeks, Arsenal might be able to cruise to victory without getting into second gear, giving them no greater insight going into their huge trip to Manchester City.
In the second half in East London, the issue seemed to be a lack of ideas as much as a lack of quality, and the addition of Leandro Trossard and Jorginho did next to nothing to change that.
The only positive of the fixture list is that a win on Friday should be easy enough to achieve, but we’d have said that before the last two games anyway. With the exception of a possible return from injury for Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arteta has no reason to shuffle his pack.
Leandro Trossard came off the bench at West Ham (PA)Tom Blow
Arteta has to hold his nerve. Sunday's draw was a bad result, but the title is still in Arsenal's hands.
They can't afford to panic. If they do, it'll be reminiscent of when Liverpool let the title slip (apologies to Steven Gerrard) nine years ago.
Liverpool went into their clash with Crystal Palace knowing City were in charge thanks to goal difference. Although they raced into a three-goal lead, it was a desperate performance and one that cost them when Palace fought back to draw 3-3.
And what about Kevin Keegan's famous "love it" rant in 1996? Or Rafa Benitez's "facts" monologue in 2009? If Arteta takes a risk against Southampton and backfires, everyone will pinpoint that game as the moment they lost the title.
Arsenal may go on to fail thanks to City's brilliance, but they shouldn't make it easier for them by doing something daft. Keep calm and carry on.
Should Mikel Arteta make changes for the home clash with Southampton? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section
Daniel Orme
After dropping four points from winning positions in the space of a week, Arsenal will certainly be nervously glancing over their shoulders at Manchester City. It’s a perplexing situation for Mikel Arteta after the stellar campaign at the Emirates Stadium so far but their problems were clear for all to see in the draw against West Ham.
After Martin Odegaard doubled the lead, the Gunners struggled to create any real chance of note - allowing for Bukayo Saka’s missed penalty shortly after the break. Added creativity would certainly help in that regard.
After seven assists since signing for the Gunners, Leandro Trossard would go a long way in rectifying that problem. Fabio Vieira - the provider of 14 league goals during his final season with Porto - might also be worth a go.
Away from that, a slight hint of some naivety also appears to be costing the current leaders. Habitual winner with Chelsea, Jorginho, was brought in for that very reason and might be deserving of his first start since early March on Friday against Southampton.
Will Freeman
Arsenal’s lack of midfield depth had always looked as though the potential downfall of their title challenge this season. Sunday’s draw against West Ham had begun so well, but a lapse in concentration from Thomas Partey exposed the Gunners and the tide turned from that moment.
Partey has been an important midfield anchor this season for the Gunners. However, with just him and Granit Xhaka for the majority of the campaign it looks as though Arteta’s reliance on the pair is finally taking its toll.
The signing of Jorginho looked an astute acquisition in January, and the question can justifiably be asked as to why he was not on the pitch when greater control of the game was needed. The Italian is not the most eye-catching of players, but he knows how to control and win games, with a trophy cabinet to demonstrate this.
The time is now to shuffle the pack, with Southampton at home being one of the easiest fixtures in the league at this moment in time. However, it does not need wholesale changes, with just one or two tweaks necessary to bring the Gunners the confidence which will be crucial when they face Manchester City next Wednesday.
Jorginho could come into the side to freshen things up (PA)Mark Jones
Arsenal have looked like a team who have only been picking from a pool of about 15 players in the draws against Liverpool and West Ham.
Their lack of injuries this season has of course been a good thing as it has allowed Mikel Arteta's side to retain a remarkable consistency, but the physical damage that has done is now telling.
Against Liverpool they were clinging on for dear life as their energy levels dropped, and although the argument was there for that being a good point in the end, you can't say the same for what happened at West Ham.
So with all that in mind I'd make a few tweaks for Southampton, where whatever side Arteta picks should do the job.
Presuming William Saliba is still out then how about giving Jakub Kiwior a go at centre-back in place of the shaky Rob Holding? Then Jorginho and Leandro Trossard can start in place of Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli.
It's nothing too dramatic, just a little freshen up. There's still a long way to go.
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