It was an interesting game at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday, as Arsenal faced off against rivals Stoke City in the Premier League. The game was not going to be easy, as Mark Hughes’ side was in good form this season and they once again proved to be resilient, as they held the Gunners to a goalless draw. Manager Arsene Wenger would have hoped for a better performance from his side, who were in the absence of Mesut Ozil, the recent star to join the injury list.
However, after the game, the French manager stated that he was not really disappointed by his side’s performance, as Jack Butland stood between them and all three points. Further, Petr Cech had to pull off some good saves to keep his side in the game and the scores level. Both keepers were solid on the night and got a lot of praise from the fans and pundits.
Despite that, it was two crucial points dropped by the north London side and here are my top three reasons why Arsenal failed to secure a win:
3. Lack of consistency from key players:
Consistency has always been a problem for Wenger and his side, who have performed well till the new year on various occasions, but failed to deliver in the second half of the campaign. It seems that this season might also showcase a similar story, though some of the top teams have not been in the best of form. It will be up to the Londoners to take advantage of the current situation and try to win their first league title in more than a decade, yet the only way to do it is by winning games on a regular basis.
2. Failure to perform in away games:
There is seriously some mental block when it comes to Arsenal and winning their away games against top clubs in the Premier League. For some reason, the Gunners have struggled to win many of the games on their travels in recent campaigns, which has cost them quite a few titles. Games in recent times, like the ones at St. Marys’, Anfield and now at the Britannia have seen Wenger’s side drop some crucial points. This has been the case for quite some time now and it has to change if they want to be serious contenders for the league title.
1. Mesut Ozil’s ankle/foot injury
With a few key players out with injuries, the absence of Mesut Ozil was a big factor for Arsenal’s failure to create and score a goal in the game. The German has not only assisted a lot of goals this season but has also scored some important ones to lift the team, when it was needed. He could have made a huge difference to the attack up front though his ankle/foot injury saw him miss the match. Wenger will be hoping that his talisman can recover soon, as they get ready to face off against Chelsea at the Emirates this weekend.