Arsenal aren’t bottlers! Gunners ‘wobble’ down to one simple reason

Robin Bairner

• 22 Apr 2023 04:45 CDT
• 4 min read

Everyone is desperate to write Arsenal off as ‘bottlers’ following a three-match winless run that has put their Premier League title challenge in doubt. The reality, though, could barely be further from this as Mikel Arteta’s side remain in with a chance of claiming a first crown in nearly two decades.

The evidence being used by to question the Gunners’ gumption is simplistic. Yes, they conceded two-goal leads against Liverpool and West Ham, and yes a point against Southampton at home was disappointing, but to put these results down to a lack of mental fortitude is overly straightforward.

A team who is bottling it does not come back from 3-1 down after 88 minutes to claim a draw and come within the width of a crossbar to take the win.

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“They are looking fatigued, they are making mistakes, they look nervous and basically, they are not doing the things they have done in matches all season,” Neville argued on Sky Sports.

What cannot be denied is that this is a “wobble”, as Neville described it, but the reasons for this are not entirely mental.

Instead, the explanation is far more basic: this is not a squad built to challenge for a Premier League title. This is not a criticism of Mikel Arteta or the club, it is instead simply a comment that they are significantly ahead of where they expected to be in their ‘process’ at this time.

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Saliba absence hurting Arsenal

Injuries and fatigue were always going to be a threat to Arsenal’s title hopes, and this is what has undermined them in recent games.

In particular, the absence of William Saliba has clearly cost Arsenal points over the last three weeks.

Before he picked up a back injury in March, Arsenal had conceded 25 goals in 27 Premier League matches – less than one per game. In his absence they have conceded nine in five matches – almost exactly double their previous rate.

Weaker at the core of their defence, it is little wonder that the team are looking more nervous and, therefore, making more errors.

Saliba, whose absence has been more prolonged than Arteta initially imagined, the manager admitted, has been replaced in the heart of the Arsenal defence by Rob Holding, a player of significantly inferior quality, and this has had a domino effect on the rest of the team.

This isn’t because Arsenal have ‘bottled’ anything but rather because they do not yet have the squad depth to match a Manchester City, who have recently moved John Stones into a midfield role because they have such riches in terms of their defensive strength.

Pep Guardiola has Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Aymeric Laporte and Manuel Akanji to pick from as well as Stones; Arteta has few such luxuries in terms of the depth of options.

What we have witnesses in recent weeks is the fragility of Arsenal’s squad, not their minds. Regardless of what happens between now and the end of the season, they will reinforce in the summer and come back stronger.