After losing to Newcastle in the 10th round of the Premier League last weekend, Arsenal continued to suffer another defeat when visiting Inter in the 4th round of the Champions League qualifying round. In this match, despite launching 20 shots and controlling the ball better, the "Gunners" could not score any goals. On the contrary, they were awarded a penalty after Mikel Merino touched the ball with his hand in the penalty area.
In this match, captain Martin Odegaard returned from injury from the bench. However, the Norwegian star's form has not been as good as before. Therefore, whether Odegaard is in this match or not will not help the "Gunners".
"This year, Inter did not win Serie A but in the Champions League, they are very eager to make a difference. From there, the Italian team has prepared very carefully.
Arsenal were pressured by Inter many times throughout the first half. We saw the maturity and steadiness of the home team. Many fans may feel sorry for The Gunners in the penalty situation but I think it was the right decision by the referee because Mikel Merino's arm was outstretched.
Arsenal had a full back line this match, with Thomas Partey being pushed up to replace Declan Rice. However, that was not enough for this away trip as Rice's role was very important.
In the second half, after conceding a goal, Arsenal sent both Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard onto the field, continuously creating more pressure, especially getting a lot of corner kicks. However, that was still not enough and it was a pity for them" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
In 20 shots on goal, Arsenal only had 4 on target but did not score any goals. The midfield without Declan Rice was a huge loss but it cannot be denied that the Gunners' attack played very poorly.
"From last season to the beginning of this season, I always held the view that Arsenal needed to add a real striker. At the beginning of this season, when everything was going well, many people said that it was not necessary because the team was executing set-piece situations very well.
When Jesus entered the field, we saw that this guy could no longer maintain his form. From then on, Arsenal felt the urgency to add more personnel in this line" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.
After the loss to Inter, Arsenal are continuing their free fall. In the Premier League, they have fallen out of the Top 4 after round 10 and are now 7 points behind Liverpool. Meanwhile, in the Champions League qualifying round, Mikel Arteta's team has fallen out of the Top 10.
Although the season has not yet passed 1/3 of the way, with increasingly intense competition in all arenas, this achievement is considered a red alert for Mikel Arteta and his students.
"For Arsenal at the moment, confidence is the most important thing. After poor results in the Premier League, plus the loss to Inter, Mikel Arteta's confidence is being eroded. However, football reflects life and it is always in constant motion. Arsenal is forced to overcome each match. This is the time for their pillars to gradually return. From there, hopefully the "Gunners" can play well in the coming rounds to make up for what was lost in the past matches.
Before this 4th round, Arsenal and Inter were the two rare teams that had not conceded a goal in the Champions League. Today, they conceded for the first time. Many people thought of a very tragic prospect and thought that the "Gunners" would decline even faster than last season, but I do not agree with this point of view" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
