This has not been a year of consistency for Arsenal. Far from it. Even
when they had avoided defeat for 22 matches in a row, they still
struggled to keep their head above water and for as many losses as there
weren’t, there were also conspicuously few dominant wins. As the
calendar year turned over and the streak was long behind us, creating
chances was starting to become a problem. But there was one guy who
continued to defy that and lead the team in chances created. That guy
was the Bosnian hulk, Sead Kolasinac.
He was the only guy averaging over two chances created per match, which is a low threshold in and of itself, but seeing as how he lead the team, he had to be respected for what he was doing, since no one else was doing it.
Not a fixture that Arsenal will be looking forward to after suffering damaging back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Wolves in the space of four days. A top-four finish is no longer in their hands and means that Unai Emery’s side have little margin for error. A resurgent Leicester team, with Jamie Vardy in outstanding form since Brendan Rodgers took over as manager, threaten to be awkward opponents. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who missed the match at Wolves because of a small sinus procedure, could return for Arsenal.
For many years now, Arsenal have struggled to defend the counter-attack. Because of their desire to dominate possession and push defensive players high up the pitch, they would often expose the centre-halves who would have acres of space to cover. Inevitably, they lacked the speed to do so and were routinely exploited, not that that is their fault.
Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Pragmatism, clean sheets, and Unai Emery
When Unai Emery opened his first season at the helm, succeeding the notoriously attacking Arsene Wenger, a lot of his focus centred on applying ‘balance’ to the team. That was his key term, a vulnerability that he had recognised from the previous regime and rightly believe needed solving.
Arsenal will face another crucial challenge in their bid to secure a top-four finish in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign when they visit Leicester City on Sunday.
The Gunners will start the match in fifth place, a point behind Chelsea. The Blues visit Manchester United later on Sunday, so Arsenal have the chance to emerge as the big winners of the weekend between those three clubs.
Their away form has been dreadful this season, however. Sky Bet has handed the visitors 8-5 odds, compared to 6-4 for the Foxes and 13-5 for a draw (h/t Oddschecker).
Kick-off is scheduled for noon BST (7 a.m. ET). Sky Sports (UK) and NBC (U.S.) will provide full TV coverage and live-stream options.
Leicester City’s run of good form has totally fallen away, with just one point from the last two games, and that one rescued in the last minute by Harvey Barnes. If they really want to have a shot at Europe next season, the Foxes will have to turn it around against a very difficult run in.
That starts today against Arsenal, who are themselves aiming to qualify for a European competition, but have fallen into a pro patch of form. The Gunners always seem to play well against us, but have shipped six goals in their last two games, so could be vulnerable.
For more build up check out our match preview and see below for all the information on how to watch, along with team news and lineups when they come.
Arsenal vs Leicester City Live
He was the only guy averaging over two chances created per match, which is a low threshold in and of itself, but seeing as how he lead the team, he had to be respected for what he was doing, since no one else was doing it.
Not a fixture that Arsenal will be looking forward to after suffering damaging back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Wolves in the space of four days. A top-four finish is no longer in their hands and means that Unai Emery’s side have little margin for error. A resurgent Leicester team, with Jamie Vardy in outstanding form since Brendan Rodgers took over as manager, threaten to be awkward opponents. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who missed the match at Wolves because of a small sinus procedure, could return for Arsenal.
For many years now, Arsenal have struggled to defend the counter-attack. Because of their desire to dominate possession and push defensive players high up the pitch, they would often expose the centre-halves who would have acres of space to cover. Inevitably, they lacked the speed to do so and were routinely exploited, not that that is their fault.
Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Pragmatism, clean sheets, and Unai Emery
When Unai Emery opened his first season at the helm, succeeding the notoriously attacking Arsene Wenger, a lot of his focus centred on applying ‘balance’ to the team. That was his key term, a vulnerability that he had recognised from the previous regime and rightly believe needed solving.
Arsenal will face another crucial challenge in their bid to secure a top-four finish in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign when they visit Leicester City on Sunday.
The Gunners will start the match in fifth place, a point behind Chelsea. The Blues visit Manchester United later on Sunday, so Arsenal have the chance to emerge as the big winners of the weekend between those three clubs.
Their away form has been dreadful this season, however. Sky Bet has handed the visitors 8-5 odds, compared to 6-4 for the Foxes and 13-5 for a draw (h/t Oddschecker).
Kick-off is scheduled for noon BST (7 a.m. ET). Sky Sports (UK) and NBC (U.S.) will provide full TV coverage and live-stream options.
Leicester City’s run of good form has totally fallen away, with just one point from the last two games, and that one rescued in the last minute by Harvey Barnes. If they really want to have a shot at Europe next season, the Foxes will have to turn it around against a very difficult run in.
That starts today against Arsenal, who are themselves aiming to qualify for a European competition, but have fallen into a pro patch of form. The Gunners always seem to play well against us, but have shipped six goals in their last two games, so could be vulnerable.
For more build up check out our match preview and see below for all the information on how to watch, along with team news and lineups when they come.
