In the last minute of the victory over Ipswich Town on Boxing Day at Emirates Stadium, Arsenal had a situation that made the away team's fans bored. Goalkeeper David Raya was slow to receive a pass from his teammate from outside the box and made a few time-wasting moves. Ipswich fans did not insult Raya but they all shouted "Arsenal is so boring and bland".
Ipswich fans may be upset because their team lost away. However, they and the "Gunners" fans who came to watch this match all hoped it would be exciting, true to the nature of Boxing Day. It was a pity that the 90 minutes that passed at the Emirates only resulted in 1 goal.
However, Mikel Arteta did not care much about this issue, as long as Arsenal won. The Spanish coach was also very satisfied with the way his students won all 3 points. Arteta seemed to enjoy this game even more than the Gunners' 5-1 destruction of Crystal Palace last week.
The biggest difference between the Ipswich win and Palace's win was the stability of the defence. Arteta did not look at the 5-1 score at Selhurst Park to assess it as better than the 1-0 result at the Emirates. In fact, in the London Derby last week, Arsenal's defense struggled in some situations and had to rely on Raya to show his talent.
Against Ipswich, things were much safer. Raya doesn't need to save at any time, that's what Arteta likes.
" Against Crystal Palace, we had to have 14 - 15 shots, which Arsenal don't usually endure. Therefore, I rate this victory over Ipswich as much better" - Arteta shared.
No team has kept more clean sheets (7) or conceded fewer goals (6) in the Premier League this season than Arsenal. The minimalist victory over Ipswich marked the Gunners' 4th consecutive clean sheet at the Emirates in all competitions. This is their best achievement since December 2021.
Against Ipswich, Arsenal's defense was very good. The attack also showed its strength when continuously destroying the opponent's goal (13 times). However, they also missed a lot after situations of Gabriel Malgahaes or Declan Rice.
"We should have scored more goals but this is the stability we need. Once again, the team did not concede a single goal at home. The defense is very good, thanks to that the foundation for victories" - Arteta commented.
However, Arteta did not deny that with Saka, everything in attack would improve even more. The English striker suffered a serious hamstring injury and was out for at least two months. Arsenal currently have no viable option to replace Saka on the right wing, as Trossard and Martinelli have turned each other on the left. Even the center forward position now has 2 people rotating, Havertz and Jesus.
Arsenal really need Saka or some striker in the winter market to continue chasing Liverpool. Against Ipswich Town, Arsenal looked like a team that was very difficult to beat, but looking at Liverpool, The Kop is a team that is very difficult to stop at the moment.
Remember, in the past 19 matches in the Premier League, Arsenal have scored only 1 goal or no goals in 8 matches. The Gunners have lost 14 of those points, a very alarming statistic showing the importance of Saka or someone to replace him in the near future. In contrast, Liverpool have scored at least 2 goals in 16/18 matches since the beginning of the tournament.
Sir Alex Ferguson once said: "Attack will help you win but defense will help you win the championship". Perhaps in this 2024-2025 season, with the race between Arsenal and Liverpool, Fergie's statement may not be proven to be true.
