Arsenal’s current mode of tightrope football is giving their games an edge that comes with inevitable precariousness. All in all, twelve of Arsenal’s 26 matches this season in all competitions have been closely bound — either won or lost by a single goal or drawn. That is just under half of all their games.
So it was not out of character for Arsenal to experience a cup game which should have been out of sight but ended up neck and neck as the late drama tipped into a penalty shoot out. The North Bank crowd got into the spirit of things. Each Arsenal taker was cheered on, and then they howled and twirled their scarves at each approaching Crystal Palace player as if they were pantomime villains.
The quality of the strikes from both teams were marked by fearless finesse, and we wondered if we might still be watching these two teams trading penalties until the turkey was being served. Finally, after 15 attempts with the score at 8-7, one of the goalkeepers was able to read the direction of the ball and Kepa Arrizabalega dived to paw away from Maxence Lacroix.
It was, as it has been quite often lately, fine margins football. It is reasonable to wonder if it is too risky, if this tendency is playing with fire. But it is also reasonable to imagine that Arsenal are hoping to elevate themselves into a more ruthless approach if circumstances allow them to kick on.
Make no mistake, this is not entirely by design. Mikel Arteta is trying to stay competitive in every match while managing resources that are — like most teams living with the relentlessness of the modern football workload — imperfect. Some players are injured, others need minutes, newcomers to the club are in some cases still trying to click with the Arsenal rhythm.
Arsenal were operating with a depleted attack for the first part of the season and more recently a decimated defence. Who knows whether they might be liberated if they ever get to utilise a more even choice of resources, but in the meantime, needs must.
Kepa Arrizabalaga saves from Maxence Lacroix to put Arsenal in the semi-finals (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC)
They have just won three consecutive matches that have all been tightly contested. “The margins should have been bigger, then we are not worried about what happens in the last few minutes. That’s something that we have to improve on and be better at,” noted Arteta in his post-match press conference.
Arsenal want more fluency and fine tuning and Arteta hopes that will grow as the attacking players in particular build relationships, patterns and combinations with team-mates that are new to them.
They started with a goalkeeper who has only played in the league cup for the club, an unusual make-up across the back four, an unfamiliar combination in midfield, and untried collaborations in attack.
In the first half the front four buzzed with promise (if not finishing). Most notably, Gabriel Jesus, making his first start in 345 days, injected movement and spark as the focal point. His ability to drop into space and tame the ball with a clever touch, or flick possession quickly to a supporting player, contrasts with the style of Viktor Gyokeres. Kai Havertz is also back in training and should soon be another option.
Jesus sprinkled a different kind of drive and unpredictability for the attackers around him to feed off. A supercharged Gabriel Martinelli zoomed up the left repeatedly, a threat with his intent and deliveries into the box. Noni Madueke galloped into dangerous positions. Eberechi Eze prompted with subtlety and invention.
Here comes the but though. But Arsenal squandered their chances. It meant the game boiled down to nuances that have been common lately. They took the lead through a set piece helped by an own goal. Then they had a fright as Palace scored with their first shot on target 95 minutes in. It was clear Arteta felt it should not have been close, but such is the way of things right now.
For a team at the top of the Premier League and Champions League, into the semi-final of one cup and about to start in another, they are not really doing a lot wrong. It could be worse.
They have two more home games to finish off the calendar year and then face a jam packed January, with nine games across a 28 day spell across the four different competitions.
The challenge to best manage his squad over these intense periods is intriguing. “I see it as a privilege at the end, because of the attitude of the players,” Arteta said. “I mean, they make your job a joy. We had situations where we didn’t have a choice up front for many months, and now we have a situation in the back line. But it doesn’t matter. We have situations like Christian Norgaard, like Kepa, like any player that is there constantly. Whatever the role that they have on the day of training, they fulfil it.
“And then when they play, that’s what they do. Every player has to have that mindset, because you’re going to have a big role to play. You want to achieve what we want to achieve, and it’s going to be the only way.”