When Arsene Wenger said there was “no reason to panic” in his post-match press conference, he had a point. Arsenal may have surrendered top spot in Group A with their 2-2 draw against Paris Saint-Germain, but their place in the Champions League knockout rounds is already assured, and their unbeaten run now stretches to 18 games in all competitions.
It’s not a bad situation to be in, but as the questioning continued at the Emirates Stadium, Wenger admitted his side have lost some of their momentum. This was Arsenal’s third consecutive draw after they shared the points with Tottenham and Manchester United. More worryingly, however, it was also the third consecutive game in which they have performed well below their best.
Arsenal are struggling for fluency and the warning signs were there from the start against PSG. Barely a minute had passed when Laurent Koscielny sprayed a loose pass straight to Blaise Matuidi 30 yards from his own goal, and moments later Francis Coquelin gifted the ball to Edinson Cavani in a similar position.
Arsenal survived those nervous moments but their struggles in possession continued as the visitors began to dominate. Kieran Gibbs had already cleared one off the line when Cavani netted the opener from Matuidi’s low cross, and when Olivier Giroud equalised from the penalty spot at the end of the first half, it was with their first shot on goal.
The Gunners got another lucky break when Marco Verratti’s own goal put them in front on the hour mark. Their advantage didn’t last long, however, as PSG capitalised on slack marking to level the scores from a corner. Arsenal were rattled, and they would have lost if it weren’t for some wayward finishing from Cavani in the closing stages.
By the time the referee blew the final whistle, Arsenal hadn’t mustered a single shot on target from open play. The lack of creativity is troubling for a side who pride themselves on their attacking qualities. Arsenal have scored plenty of goals against Ludogorets and Sunderland in recent weeks, but against elite opposition in their last three games combined they have only managed four shots on target.
Injuries have been damaging. In central midfield, Arsenal badly miss Santi Cazorla’s ability to break out of tight spaces and launch attacks from deep. Wenger is finding it difficult to find the right balance in the Spaniard’s absence, and his uncertainty has led him to field different midfield partnerships in each of Arsenal’s last three games.
Granit Xhaka was arguably Arsenal’s best player in the north London derby, but he has dropped out of the team since then. Mohamed Elneny was preferred to partner Coquelin against United, while Ramsey got the nod against PSG. It’s little wonder Arsenal are lacking cohesion. With Cazorla set to be out until Christmas, Wenger needs to settle on a solution sooner rather than later.
Arsenal’s defensive lapses are also concerning. They have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last five games, and Hector Bellerin’s injury is already proving problematic. Carl Jenkinson has shown plenty of endeavour in his absence, but the difference in quality was obvious against PSG as he failed to find a team-mate with all five of his crosses.
Wenger played down his side’s disjointed performance, but it could prove costly. Arsenal are almost certain to finish as group runners-up for the fifth consecutive season, and while there is still a round of fixtures left to play, it means they already face the distinct possibility of another last-16 meeting with Lionel Messi’s Barcelona.
That would be the worst case scenario, but Arsenal will need to show considerable improvement whoever they face. Wenger’s men are unbeaten since the opening day of the campaign and it’s not time for panic stations yet, but their luck won’t last forever. They need to rediscover their early-season form, starting with the visit of Bournemouth on Nissan Super Sunday.
