1 week ago
14 It’s tough to really assess the result at Chelsea from an Arsenal point of view.
Usually, a point at Stamford Bridge would not be a bad thing and there were certainly some positives for Arsenal to take from the game.
I thought they probably just about shaded it. They played some good stuff at times, created more chances than they have for a while and scored a good goal through Gabriel Martinelli.
The return of Martin Odegaard was obviously huge and the fact that he played 90 minutes in such a high intensity game after so long out was incredible. It was no surprise that he didn’t look his sharpest, but he still played very well all things considered and showed what Arsenal had been missing in his absence.
He was integral in all the good things Arsenal did going forward and produced a moment of real quality to set up the goal for Martinelli after the interval.
But the fact that Arsenal again failed to hang on to a lead was really disappointing, especially when you look at the goal they conceded.
Yes, it was a great strike from Pedro Neto, but he should never have been given the time and space that he was allowed before he got his shot away. It was a rare moment of miscommunication from Arsenal. Three or four players were all caught out of position and no-one took command of the situation.
You could see how annoyed Mikel Arteta was afterwards. He knew his team had given two points away in that moment and Arsenal can’t afford to make those kind of avoidable errors given the position they find themselves in right now.
I don’t think Arsenal are out of the title race. Maybe I’m being naive and I’m underestimating Liverpool, but I would be far more concerned if Manchester City were nine points clear.
Liverpool have had a great start and are riding the crest of a wave, but I do get the sense that things are going their way a bit at the moment and I would be surprised if they kept up the pace they are currently setting.
They are obviously in a great position though and Arsenal are going to have to improve massively if they are going to catch them. The run of fixtures between now and the New Year is going to be huge.
After such a difficult start, especially away from home, Arsenal have what appears to be a good run coming up and they have to take advantage and get some momentum going. I look at the next eight games and the aim has to be maximum points.
That’s a tough ask in the Premier League, but that’s what they have to aim for. If they can achieve that, I think they will be in touching distance by the time we hit 2025 and then everything will be to play for over the second half of the season.
Pedro Neto scoring for Chelsea against Arsenal (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Of all the signings Chelsea have made over the past couple of years, Pedro Neto was the one that I looked at and felt that Arsenal should have had a go for.
They had looked at him in the past, but a move never materialised. I think at the time they seriously considered him, Wolves were better placed to resist any advances.
But last summer he just wasn’t really on the radar. I don’t know why that was. Clearly, he was available, but Arsenal didn’t make a move and Chelsea did.
He always looked like a player to me who was perfect for Arsenal. Obviously there were injury concerns. His availability while he was at Wolves was not great and maybe that put some clubs off.
But when he was fit he was always top quality and given his attributes he really did feel tailor-made for this Arsenal squad.
As we saw on Sunday, he can play on either wing so could have provided competition and cover for both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli which is much needed.
He has real pace, something Arsenal lack, he’s extremely comfortable on the ball and he is a goal threat, as he demonstrated with that excellent finish past David Raya.
It felt like an opportunity missed by Arsenal when Chelsea got that deal done in the summer and it still feels like that now.
Arsenal will take their time over appointing a successor to Edu as sporting director.
I’ve seen lots of names mentioned already, like Tomas Rosicky and Tim Steiden. Even Per Mertesacker has been getting a mention.
But there will be no quick decision.
It’s going to be a thorough process because Arsenal want to make sure they get someone that they believe is perfectly suited to an important role.
Jason Ayto, who has been Edu’s assistant for the past year, will take on the role on an interim basis and is viewed as a very capable stop gap while the recruitment process takes shape. He could even be considered for the role full-time, although there is a feeling the opportunity might have come a bit too soon for him.
But he is highly respected and knows the current set-up better than anyone, given how closely he has been working with Edu for the past 12 months.
He is due to travel to the USA this week with Mikel Arteta, managing director Richard Garlick and director Tim Lewis to meet with the Kroenkes in Los Angeles.

 
It’s a scheduled meeting that always takes place in the November international break. It’s when the management group always lay-out their plans for the following summer to the owners.
Obviously the hunt for a new sporting director will also be on the agenda and I know Arsenal are currently not limiting themselves to a certain type of candidate.
They will take their time and look across the globe as they consider who they want to go for. Obviously they will have certain names already in mind at this early stage, but they will not rush into anything.
It always makes me smile when I see Ousmane Diomande linked with Arsenal.
He’s just one of those players who year after year gets linked with a possible move to the club.
I can’t believe he’s still just 20 years old because it feels like he’s been rumoured to be close to a move to Arsenal for the past decade.
Diomande is obviously an excellent talent and has been doing very good things with Sporting over the past few seasons.
But it’s not one that I’ve ever had backed up in terms of Arsenal’s interest. That’s not to say that the reports about interest are not correct, it’s just not something I’ve heard myself.
And to be honest, if Arsenal are going to splash out the type of money it would take to get him out of Portugal, I’d much rather that cash would be spent on attacking options rather than defensive ones.
