Arsenal’s 100 percent winning record in the Premier League this season was halted abruptly after the Gunners had to hold out for a 1-1 draw with Brighton. The stats would tell you that Brighton had 64 percent ball possession and 22 shots to Arsenal’s 11, even though Arsenal had seven shots on target and five big chances, compared to Brighton’s four shots on target and three big chances. Arsenak had better xG in open play (1.84) and set plays (0.23) as well as a better xGOT (goals on target, not Game of Thrones) of 2.43, compared to Brighton’s 0.76.
However, there was a moment in the match that turned the game on its head, when the man with the whistle, Chris Kavanagh, handed Declan Rice an early bath, after brandishing a second yellow card to the Englishman, to give him his first sending off in the Premier League, after 245 games played. After the game, Rice was very apologetic to his teammates in a post-match press conference and after that has been said and done, Arsenal has a Declan Rice sized hole in central midfield, heading into the North London Derby after the international break.
To make things worse, Arsenal’s new midfield dynamo, Mikel Merino, suffered a shoulder injury in his first training session and you could see how disappointed he was when the cameras at the Emirates got a glimpse of him during the match with Brighton. He gave the vibe of someone that was itching to get into the pitch to help his teammates in a precarious situation, but the injury gods had other ideas.
With Mohamed Elneny released, Albert Sambi Lokonga shipped out to Sevilla, Emile Smith Rowe gone to Fulham and Fabio Vieira returning to FC Porto on a season long loan, Arsenal has ONLY Thomas Partey and Jorginho as the recognized senior central midfielders at the club right now, and with Partey’s notorious injury record, one can only imagine that Arsenal will be sending a physio to Ghana with him ahead of his nations World Cup qualifying matches. Jorginho isn’t a regular for Italy like the yesteryear, so I’d expect him to be fresh for the clash with Tottenham.
Beggars can’t be choosers, but if push comes to shove, how can Arsenal fill a Declan Rice sized hole in midfield? I believe that Partey and Jorginho are experienced enough to hold their own on the day, but Jorginho’s performance in the last NLD left a lot to be desired, as it was his error that led to the Tottenham equalizer at the Emirates, and in all honesty, Partey is not as domineering as he used to be in midfield, and kinda looks off the pace.
We can only hope that Partey and Jorginho return to London Colney unscathed because there is a Rice hole at the midfield, and it’s quite gaping.
Sayonara.
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