Arsenal vs BATE: Five things we learned as Alexandre Lacazette sees red on a dire Europa League evening for Unai Emery
The opening joust of Arsenal‘s round of 32 Europa League tie against BATE Borisov got off to a dismal start as the Gunners suffered a bleak 1-0 defeat at the Borisov Arena.
Unai Emery’s side started brightly but quickly paled in Belarus’ sub-zero temperature, and after Alexandre Lacazette had a fine opportunity saved, it was the home side who came on the strongest.
Nemanja Milic hit the post after a fine break down the right-wing and after Nacho Monreal conceded a free-kick just moments later, Stanislav Dragun stood tallest to divert the ball past Petr Cech.
In the second half, Arsenal continued to pile forward, but never forged a decisive opportunity, forever stuck in second-gear.
And a dire night was only compounded in misery as Alexander Lacazette recieved a straight red card in the closing stages for a swing of the elbow.
Here’s five things we learned from the game.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragun...
Nobody gave BATE Borisov a chance. Not even a sniff for old man Alexander Hleb, the 37-year-old taskmaster. After all, Arsenal had only conceded two goals in six games in the group stage of the competition.
But as soon as Arsenal took to the bitter -1 C cold with a privileged grimace before kick-off, BATE will have sensed th Gunners’ reluctance. The overbearing that Emery’s side were treating the game as a chore, and a routine victory.
The Belarussian’s had to wait for their chance, and endure an early tide of Arsenal attacks, but when the opening came, they pounced. Monreal’s clumsy foul gifted a free-kick on the edge of the box and Stanislav Dragun rose high above Sead Kolasinac to divert the ball home.
It was only BATE’s second shot on target – they wouldn’t have another for over half-an-hour – but when the opportunity arrived they were the ones with the decisive bite.
Arsenal’s fragile defence continues to stumble…
The relic of Arsene Wenger’s legacy hardest to eradicate is the defence he’s left behind. And after seven months at the helm, Emery is still searching for a solution and marginal improvement simply aren’t enough.
A flailing mess of Shkodran Mustafi and an aging Laurent Koscielny has already seen the Gunners concede more goals than Crystal Palace and Newcastle in the league this season.
Perhaps it was complacency, or maybe it’s just an ineptitude, but at times BATE simply sauntered through the spaces left between Nacho Monreal – once again moonlighting as a centre back - and Sead Kolasinac with such ease. This, the BATE who were pummeled 6-0 by Arsenal in December 2017.
Kolasinac, as dangerous as he is going forward, continually fails to track back, treating his primary function as a laboursome duty, and it was in that gap that BATE found their space.
The Serbian was warned when Maksim Skavysh ghosted past him before teeing up Nemanja Milic, whose shot ricocheted off the post. But that went unheeded, as just minutes later Monreal was forced into the foul, when covering for Kolasinac, that would set up the goal.
Matteo Guendouzi shows rougher edges...
Matteo Guendouzi has been something of a youthful revelation for Arsenal this season. The bargain £7m prospect who turned out to be Sven Mislintat’s parting gift to the Gunners, and has at times injected a lease of life into the Arsenal team, such as in defeat to Chelsea earlier this season.
Yet, tonight was a reminder of the Frenchman’s rougher edges. The compartments of his game that remain unpolished and unkempt in tune with the 19-year-old’s poodleish hair.
His most notable contributions in an off-colour first-half being errant passes, mistimed tackles and a lack of calm.
The trouble of partnering the 19-year-old with Granit Xhaka, rather than the likes of Lucas Torreira, is that it leaves the midfield with a stagnant air – only amplified by Aaron Ramsey’s absence from the side.
A lack of transition between defence and attack, that left the team unable to foster quick counters and catch BATE off-guard. It meant Alexandre Lacazette was often cut out of the game, the Frenchman having to drop deep just to try and cast an influence – and it was on one such escapade where the striker saw the first red card of his professional career.
Alex Iwobi does everything right but lacks end product…
Forever there has been a sentiment about Alex Iwobi that his peak is yet to come. That there is a layer of talent that is yet to be tapped into, if only someone can ignite the elusive spark.
For a while it seemed Unai Emery may have found the match. This season the Nigerian has been running harder and tracking back more stringently, but still the 22-year-old lacks that vital added vision to pick out the final ball, pass to allow runners to get beyond him, or the confidence to cut inside and take on the shot himself.
This was, if it can be coined, a typical Iwobi game. He made a great series of run down the left-wing, continuously found space and lost his opposite number, but each time the charge came to little fruition.
Oz-ill again..
Ozil was stricken by a debilitating cold once again last week, drawing his career tally of games missed through illness nearer to the century mark, as Arsenal ground out a hard-fought 2-1 win against Huddersfield.
For the trip to bitterly cold Bate, the superfluous playmaker was once again left out of the squad, deemed not fit enough to take part after being seen training sluggishly during the week. At this point, can anything deter the 30-year-old’s £350,000-a-week ebb into deadweight, or is he destined to be the exorbitant haemorrhage that forever impedes Emery’s progress?
