Another worry during Christmas. Arsenal never seem to have done things easily.
"That's something we have to improve on, we conceded in the final minutes of the game," goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga admitted after Arsenal's latest late goal.
conceding 4 goals in the final minutes of the match should have been a warning bell for coach Mikel Arteta. But in reality, at least according to the Spanish captain, that is not what worries him the most.
Usually, such a series of situations will raise skepticism about the bravery and ability of the whole team - especially Arsenal, who have struggled to complete the "last step" many times in recent seasons. It also easily evokes uncomfortable memories of the weak defensive periods under Arsene Wenger at the end of his tenure, the entire Unai Emery era, or even the first seasons of Arteta himself.
However, Arteta is not too worried because he does not consider it a defensive issue, but an attack issue.
"The score should have been much different," Arteta said after the penalty win over Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. Arsenal were equalized in stoppage time - a repeat scenario against Sunderland and Wolves - and according to Arteta, it was a consequence of not finishing the match early. "It should have been three or four goals, so we didn't have to worry in the final minutes."
The reality on the field has reflected that. Against Palace, the "Gunners" controlled the game but once again their attack was ineffective in December. This is a period that always brings special challenges to The Gunners.
It is hard to believe that it has been more than 300 minutes since an Arsenal player last scored from a non-penalty situation. Since the 60th minute of the 3-0 win over Club Brugge, Arsenal have had to live on 3 home goals - two from Wolves, one from Palace - and a penalty from Viktor Gyokeres against Everton.
An own goal or a penalty is not a welcome thing. Moreover, it is often a result of continuous pressure and chaos created by the attack. But the numbers point to a worrying reality. In the last 3 matches, Arsenal should have scored at least 6 goals, but they have not scored any goals from live ball situations.
This problem is no new. In December 2023, Arsenal lost to Fulham and West Ham, then were eliminated from the FA Cup despite overwhelming Liverpool in terms of chances. Another year before that, they drew with Fulham and Everton, beat Ipswich 1-0 hard, and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Newcastle despite playing well in the first half.
A trend has emerged and it continued to show in the match against Palace. Arsenal launched 25 shots without scoring any goals from the ball.
Noni Madueke missed the opportunity to score a hat-trick in the first half. Gabriel Jesus was rejected twice by Walter Benitez. Jurrien Timber also failed to take advantage of favorable situations before the match had to be decided by penalty shootout. Arsenal have failed to score a single "real" goal in 25 shots - an uncounted own goal.
Of course, their continued success in such scenarios shows progress in squad depth and match management. But if Arsenal really want to complete the journey, they need to be more decisive early. They could not enter January with problems lasting from the busy but indecisive December.
