This game had 0-0 all over it. Bar the first 5 minutes, Inter offered relatively little. We controlled the game to a large extent, and going a very unfortunate penalty goal down to a team like Inter was always going to be a tough ask. A draw would have been a fair, and an OK away result for us.
But...we lost the game. And for me this was a combination of:
- Arteta's selection mistakes. A MF of Partey; Merino and essentially Havertz - with an out of form Trossard up top was never going to take the game effectively to Inter, (not enough craft) and the second half from us was better after Merino had been taken off and. The problem was that it was too late by then - if we struggle to break down Bournemouth and Newcastle's low block then trying to score against arguably the best defence in Europe with them a goal in front was always going to be a tough ask.
While I thought Partey did OK, we needed the guile of Jorghino - and I cannot for the life of me understand why he has been discarded in favour of the manager's new toy, who simply is not working at the moment.
I agree with all those who advocated for Nwaneri - who should have replaced Merino at half time. 10 minutes at the end was not enough. By getting rid of Smith Rowe and Vieira, the manager left us with only Nwaneri to replace what Odegard brings to the team. While I understand a certain amount of caution in throwing Nwaneri in at the deep end, when this is your only option for creativity, you have to be bold and let him play. There was not a great deal to lose in this game, given the game state and the obvious problems we were having breaking Inter down. there are times when Arteta's stubbornness is infuriating.
- Out of form players. I thought Trossard (again); Martinelli (again), and even Saka (I know he was double marked, but even so he was subdued) were disappointing. Martinelli in particular frustrated me in his failure to take players on. I wonder, however, whether this is part and parcel of the way we are set up, and our lack of creativity in MF. It was noticeable how slow were were in progressing the ball, and were almost always outnumbered 2:1 in their third.
- Tactics. What I was thinking in the first part of the game was the contrast between a team that breaks quickly and shoots from distance, and our team that spends so much time passing square and backwards, giving the opposition all the time in the world to get into defensive shape. If we have as good a defence as is claimed, does this not give us a certain license to take a few risks in trying to progress the ball? I saw Partey trying to do so. Maybe Saliba and Timber, but few others. Possession, safety first football is not working for us, and its almost embarrassing trying to rely on set pieces to score - as though we are Everton or Stoke. Also, has anyone considered why we get so many corners (that are no longer a 'guaranteed' goal opportunity BTW - has anyone noticed this?). It's because our wingers are playing for them, first because there are so few runs being made into the opposition's box, and second because they have become a sort of obsession for us.
We have seen all this before - ponderous, robotic build up play; the horseshoe of doom; lack of movement; inability to finish. It's becoming the hallmark of Arteta's play, and we are one dimensional. We thought that our sparkling second half of last season had seen a departure from this - but it seems that as the result of one player's absence, we have reverted to type. This is not good enough given the money that has been spent on this squad.
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