Arsenal 1-1 Wolves - 4 things we learned

Arsenal and Wolves drew 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium, on Sunday 11th November 2018.

This day was Remembrance Day and was more poignant than normal since it was the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One and the armistice ending the conflict. Whilst the day overall was one to remember, the performance from Arsenal wasn’t.

Wolves may not have much recent Premier League experience, but they are a club with heritage and have high plans in utilising their Premier League status. They have matched other top six sides this season, and narrowly lost to Tottenham last week. However, they put in a fine performance today and in some ways were unlucky not to win.

Arsenal's play, in contrast, was disjointed, full of poor passing, and a lack of tempo, energy, and ideas.

The Wolves boss, Nuno Espirito Santo, had a strong game plan which paid off to a good degree. He got his team to press us, move into attacking areas quicker, and looked to get behind Arsenal, and especially in their left-back area.

Wolves took the lead, after a poor ball from Xhaka and the defence not catching runners. Arsenal and Wolves had chances to score, as Leno made a low save and Iwobi and Lacazette had shots blocked.

The second half saw a slight increase in tempo, though the passing from Arsenal was still weak. The forward players were still showing a lack of sharpness and incisiveness, which was not allowing them to open up the Wolves defence.

There were more chances for the Gunners as Aubameyang hit the post, and Bellerin shot from the penalty spot over the bar.

Wolves had some very late chances, bringing up great saves from Bernd Leno, but Arsenal equalised via substitute Mkhitaryan. It was via a cross-cum-shot, which deceived the goalkeeper and defence and crept it.

Wolves should be credited for their hard work and pressing, which clearly was planned out, and executed well. However, Arsenal too didn’t pass the ball as crisply as they could have, and both of these factors lent to the draw.

Did Wolves have better chances? Possibly, though Arsenal did threaten on some occasions. However, major points for Arsenal were:

#1 Wolves' game plan

Wolves' game plan worked well in this match at the Emirates. Their boss, Nuno Espirito Santo, implemented a high press, exploiting Arsenal's weak left side and their generally weak defensive capabilities. Via doing this, Wolves were able to expose Kolasinac and Arsenal's defensive frailties, and take advantage of Arsenal's weak defensive positioning.

Kolasnic was often caught out of position, and he didn't track back as much as he should have to counter their attacks. This often left much space for their wide players to utilise and thus stretched Arsenal at the back.

Moreover, bar Torreira's positioning, Wolves were able to move in and create chances, and Arsenal proved that they need to step up defensively and correct longstanding defensive deficiencies.

Holding and Mustafi also got caught one on one, and whilst they handled Salah, Firmino, and Mane well, with respect to Wolves their attackers are not on the same level. And they often struggled in this regard. It took some expert saves by Leno to cover for their errors in judgment and positioning.

Wolves should be commended for at least trying to figure Arsenal out, and take the game to them.

#2 Arsenal's tiredness?

Were the team tired? It's possible since they have played many games lately. Yes, some rotation occurred, but then the Europa League games have had the same players in some capacity. Though Aubameyang, for instance (albeit due to Welbeck's injury), played much of the game vs. Sporting and started vs. Wolves.

The team also has expended a higher work-rate than before, at least compared to the later Wenger period, and a pressing style is more apparent under Emery. So it's natural that more energy is being used and this can take its toll.

If the team were tired, then it's commendable that a draw was attained, and the unbeaten run continues.

The international break may be time to recuperate and regain fitness since the team lack impetus at the moment. Many of the players will be on duty, granted, but even a change in routine/surroundings can reinvigorate.

It may be time also to use more of the youngsters, inclusive of Smith-Rowe, Nketiah, and Maitland-Niles. They've all shown potential in varying degrees of late and could capitalise if older players are worn.

#3 Arsenal lacked attacking fluency

Mesut Ozil was nowhere near his best once again

Arsenal's attacking potency and passing was weak, with Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette and Iwobi, being pretty poor. They often lost the ball, gave it away, and didn't really have the incisiveness that yielded the earlier better results.

The Liverpool game, whilst not a win, was a commendable draw against a title challenging team and was a good display in both attacking and defensive terms. Had Arsenal today played the same, they may have beaten Wolves, but lacking attacking impetus was a major factor in the limpness.

Lacazette usually acts as an attacking lynchpin, linking play and holding the ball up. But today, he wasn't as effective, since he often gave the ball away and Iwobi also was guilty of this.

Aubameyang is the current top scorer in the league, and Premier League player of the month for October. However, he was pretty isolated today and didn't really impact the game that much.

Arsenal had an off day, and couldn't go through the gears here.

#4 Bernd Leno impresses with man of the match performance

Leno has done a great job after taking over from Cech

Leno was signed from the Bundesliga in the summer, and whilst not a big name, it was clear that another keeper was needed. Petr Cech is one of the Premier League greats without question. But of late, his performances have dipped, and he needs competition and eventual replacement.

Leno was touted as being a keeper more adept at the passing from the back, and he has done capably in this regard. But then vs. Wolves, he made several telling saves, which saved the game in its latter moments. Mustafi and Holding didn't track the strikers well enough, and he managed to parry two late chances to secure the draw.

Leno on this form can be an Arsenal main keeper for years to come, and his good form has been rewarded via getting in the Germany squad for the UEFA Nations League.

He has adapted readily to the Premier League and can be credited for Arsenal's draw today. It may be premature to cite at this stage - but if Leno can continue this form in the long-term, he can be the heir to David Seaman and Jens Lehmann, as top-level goalkeepers who performed above and beyond the expectations at Arsenal.

Edited by Shambhu Ajith