A dejected bench. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Positive #2: Reiss Nelson
Reiss Nelson was once again very impressive when he came on the pitch and, at this point, particularly with the injury to Martinelli, I believe he has more than earned a starting spot in the matchday squad.
He was direct, aggressive and by far the most likely player to make anything happen for us in the final third. For the final two matches of this season, I hope we get to see Nelson in the side from the start so he can truly prove himself at the Premier League level.
Negative #2: Lack of intensity
Arguably the most disappointing aspect of the defeat was the fact that the performance largely lacked any intensity from an attacking point of view. First and foremost, we must credit Brighton immensely for making it so difficult for the players to find their usual rhythm.
However, the players must also take a lot of responsibility. The vast majority of them struggled to have any impact on the game, and from an attacking perspective especially, found it very hard to impose themselves. Putting Manchester City aside, Brighton are the only side to come to the Emirates and not only outplay us, but outfight us, too.
Continued on the next slide…
pic.twitter.com/6vXpDZuns2
<p>— Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1657800268946259969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 14, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<h2>Positive #1: The fans</h2>
<p>The team may have been lacklustre and lacking intensity, but the same cannot be said about the atmosphere inside the Emirates. From the first minute to the moment Undav confirmed the result, the fans were excellent and were incredible in their efforts in encouraging the players. As it has been throughout this season, the stadium was rocking and the home crowd deserve huge credit for that.</p>
<p>Ultimately, many of those fans eventually left the match early, dismayed at what they had witnessed, but they undeniably did their part before that happened.</p>
<h2>Negative #1: Gabriel Martinelli’s injury</h2>
<p>While it is unlikely that had Martinelli stayed on the pitch we would have been victorious, his early exit was certainly a huge blow. Leandro Trossard has been excellent since his January arrival, but the Brazilian is the first-choice option at left wing for a reason.</p>
<p>Arteta <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"https://www.arsenal.com/news/every-word-mikels-post-brighton-presser-0">spoke on the injury</a> after the game, admitting he was unsure how serious the injury was.</p>
<blockquote><p>“We don’t know, he’s in a boot at the moment. It was very uncomfortable for him to walk, he couldn’t carry on playing – so obviously we need to scan him and see the extent of that injury.”</p></blockquote>
<p>With only two fixtures left in this campaign, the impact will of course be lessened. However, the real concern is whether the injury Martinelli sustained is serious enough to potentially rule him out at the start of next season.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 positive and negative </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_134478" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134478" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1490108684.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1490108684.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1490108684-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1490108684-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">A dejected bench. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>Positive #2: Reiss Nelson</h2>
<p>Reiss Nelson was once again very impressive when he came on the pitch and, at this point, particularly with the injury to Martinelli, I believe he has more than earned a starting spot in the matchday squad.</p>
<p>He was direct, aggressive and by far the most likely player to make anything happen for us in the final third. For the final two matches of this season, I hope we get to see Nelson in the side from the start so he can truly prove himself at the Premier League level.</p>
<h2>Negative #2: Lack of intensity</h2>
<p>Arguably the most disappointing aspect of the defeat was the fact that the performance largely lacked any intensity from an attacking point of view. First and foremost, we must credit Brighton immensely for making it so difficult for the players to find their usual rhythm.</p>
<p>However, the players must also take a lot of responsibility. The vast majority of them struggled to have any impact on the game, and from an attacking perspective especially, found it very hard to impose themselves. Putting Manchester City aside, Brighton are the only side to come to the Emirates and not only outplay us, but outfight us, too.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 positive and negative </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_134456" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134456" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1490109264.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1490109264.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1490109264-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1490109264-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal’s title dream faded on Sunday. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>Positive #3: Kieran Tierney</h2>
<p>While it is true that we <a title="Importance of Oleksandr Zinchenko highlighted in Brighton defeat" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/importance-oleksandr-zinchenko-highlighted-brighton-defeat/" rel="">missed the passing range of Oleksandr Zinchenko</a> against Brighton, the introduction of Tierney did result in our defensive issues at left-back being somewhat solved. In large, the Seagulls were most dangerous down our right-hand side, with Kauro Mitoma causing Benjamin White serious problems all afternoon.</p>
<p>Tierney cannot dictate the pace of a game with passing in the same way that Zincehnko can, but what he does provide is greater defensive solidity.</p>
<h2>Negative #3: Title hopes all but over</h2>
<p>Finally, the biggest negative from the match was undoubtedly the implications the defeat had on our title hopes. Manchester City are now four points clear of us with a game in hand and boasting a far superior goal difference.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Olg69zMZTn"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/importance-oleksandr-zinchenko-highlighted-brighton-defeat/">Importance of Oleksandr Zinchenko highlighted in Brighton defeat</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“Importance of Oleksandr Zinchenko highlighted in Brighton defeat” — Pain in the Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/3-positives-and-negatives-arsenal-3-0-loss-brighton/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/15/importance-oleksandr-zinchenko-highlighted-brighton-defeat/embed/#?secret=fOpFmDXSDo#?secret=Olg69zMZTn" data-secret="Olg69zMZTn" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div>
<p>The fact we only have six points to play for makes the feat even harder to achieve and essentially means we need a miracle to be crowned Premier League champions at the end of the month. It is not mathematically over just yet, but it certainly feels as though any chance we did have has now vanished.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
