LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 23: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal runs with the ball away from Kyle John of Everton during the Premier League 2 match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium on August 23, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)
Arsenal Vs Eintracht Frankfurt: 5 things we learned – Hello, Bukayo Saka
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 23: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal runs with the ball away from Kyle John of Everton during the Premier League 2 match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium on August 23, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)
Arsenal travelled to Eintracht Frankfurt to open their Europa League campaign on Thursday night. Here are five things we learned from the 3-0 win.
In their Europa League curtain-raiser against a dangerous Eintracht Frankfurt, on Thursday evening, Arsenal put in a typical performance of the Unai Emery era: dangerous on the counter-attack, some smart combination play here and there, but worrying open at the back. In the end, they swept to what looked like a comfortable 3-0 victory, but had chances fallen the other way, this could have been a far sourer piece.
Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Unai Emery out?
Nevertheless, here are five things we learned from a night in which Hale End came to have fun.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 28: Calum Chambers of Fulham shows appreciation to the crowd after the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Fulham and Exeter City at Craven Cottage on August 28, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
5. Calum Chambers is not a right-back
Only three outfield players have played every minute of the Premier League season thus far. One of those players is Ainsley Maitland-Niles, all five of his appearances coming at right-back in place of Hector Bellerin. Unai Emery, therefore, decided that he needed a rest. With few other natural options available to him, the head coach turned to Calum Chambers to fill the position. It did not work.
Chambers put in a performance reminiscent of the dreaded night in Swansea City when Jefferson Montero gave him a runaround. This was not quite as stark as that, especially given he improved markedly in the final 20 minutes or so, but the opening half-hour was a reminder of one very plain fact: Chambers is not a right-back.
I do have sympathy for his poor performance. Filip Kostic was Frankfurt’s best player and is a dangerous wide attacker. He is no easy man to mark. And Chambers was playing out of position, clearly lacking the necessary agility and movement skills to defend one-on-one in wide areas. This was never going to end well. If Emery is going to use Chambers, it must be as a centre-back or not at all.
Arsenal put in a typical performance of the Unai Emery era: dangerous on the counter-attack, some smart combination play here and there, but worrying open at the back. In the end, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49745913">they swept to what looked like a comfortable 3-0 victory</a>, but had chances fallen the other way, this could have been a far sourer piece.</p>
<h2><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pain-in-the-arsenal-podcast-on-arsenal-fc/id1314514440?ign-mpt=uo%3D4%26amp%3Buo%3D4&mt=2%22>Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Unai Emery out?</a></h2>
<p>Nevertheless, here are five things we learned from a night in which Hale End came to have fun.</p>
<div id="attachment_80772" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-80772" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1024971048-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Calum Chambers" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 28: Calum Chambers of Fulham shows appreciation to the crowd after the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Fulham and Exeter City at Craven Cottage on August 28, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>5. Calum Chambers is not a right-back</h4>
<p>Only three outfield players have played every minute of the Premier League season thus far. One of those players is Ainsley Maitland-Niles, all five of his appearances coming at right-back in place of Hector Bellerin. Unai Emery, therefore, decided that he needed a rest. With few other natural options available to him, the head coach turned to <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=calum+chambers%22>Calum Chambers</a> to fill the position. It did not work.</p>
<p>Chambers put in a performance reminiscent of the dreaded night in Swansea City when Jefferson Montero gave him a runaround. This was not quite as stark as that, especially given he improved markedly in the final 20 minutes or so, but the opening half-hour was a reminder of one very plain fact: Chambers is not a right-back.</p>
<p>I do have sympathy for his poor performance. Filip Kostic was Frankfurt’s best player and is a dangerous wide attacker. He is no easy man to mark. And Chambers was playing out of position, clearly lacking the necessary agility and movement skills to defend one-on-one in wide areas. This was never going to end well. If Emery is going to use Chambers, it must be as a centre-back or not at all.</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/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 4. Joe Willock is a superstar </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-91237" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1167424328-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Joe Willock" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – AUGUST 11: Arsenal player Joe Willock in action during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on August 11, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>4. Joe Willock is a superstar</h4>
<p>For the majority of the game,<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=joe+willock%22> Joe Willock</a> was the best player on the pitch. Starting in his now customary line-breaking central midfield position, which is very similar to the role that Frank Lampard made his own for Chelsea in a 4-3-3 shape, the 20-year-old was superb.</p>
<p>Willock struggled in the opening 20 minutes or so, Arsenal desperately looking for options to play forward, Willock unable to find space and get away from his marker. But as the game progressed, he sought out these pockets of space, received the ball with more regularity, and was excellently productive when he got it.</p>
<p>His goal was a little fortunate, admittedly, taking a huge deflection, but Willock teed up Aubameyang with an amazing driving run from deep and clever through-pass and showed a goalscoring acument with his late runs into the box. He completed all three of his dribble attempts, helped progress play in the second half, and pressed with terrific energy and impetus. Willock really is a superstar.</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/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 3. The midfield conundrum </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-91761" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1169968146-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Lucas Torreira" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 24: Lucas Torreira of Arsenal controls the ball during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on August 24, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>3. The midfield conundrum</h4>
<p>Remember the exhausting debate surrounding N’Golo Kante and how Maurizio Sarri used him in a 4-3-3 at Chelsea last season? Well, that very same debate is about to be repeated all over again, this time with<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=lucas+torreira%22> Lucas Torreira</a>, Unai Emery and Arsenal.</p>
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<p>In many respects, Torreira is a lesser Kante. He does not quite make the same defensive impact as the two-time Premier League and World Cup winner, but his style is very comparable: highly energetic, quick across the ground, excellent at tackling and intercepting, terrific stamina and a willingness to press. Both are at their best as the anchor midfielder, shielding the defence and breaking up play.</p>
<p>However, in the high-pressing modern game in which players that have the ability to win possession can now be used high up the pitch to force turnovers and instigate attacks, there is an apparent desire to push Kante and Torreira into a box-to-box role. They have the ability to play in that role and can do it productively, but is it the best use of their talents?</p>
<p>In Torreira’s place, Emery turns to <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=granit+xhaka%22>Granit Xhaka</a> — incidentally, he is akin to Jorginho, an excellent passer of the ball who is not as proficient defensively or quick across the ground. Xhaka had a shocking first 20 minutes here, his usual shortcomings rising to the surface once again. But when Torreira sat a little deeper and Arsenal shifted closer to a 4-2-3-1 than a 4-3-3, Xhaka improved greatly, his passing having a greater impact on the match.</p>
<p>So how does Emery structure his midfield moving forward? Well, it is difficult to say. He obviously likes Xhaka, but the evidence is increasingly pointing to Torreira dropping deeper, replacing the Swiss international. It won’t happen any time soon, but Arsenal undoubtedly look more comfortable with that midfield set-up.</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/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2. Defensive problems are structural </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-92831" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1152226224-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Unai Emery" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – MAY 28: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal gives his team instructions during an Arsenal training session on the eve of the UEFA Europa League Final against Chelsea at Baku Olimpiya Stadion on May 28, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>2. Defensive problems are structural</h4>
<p>Surprisingly for a team that has made more individual errors that have caused goals than any team in the Premier League since the start of last season, conceded penalties in their last three games, all to stupid challenges, and fielded Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz, Sead Kolasinac and Granit Xhaka in the same team, Arsenal’s defensive problems, on this occasion, were not as a result of individual errors or poor individual performances. Rather, they were structural.</p>
<p>Put simply, there was far too much space between each rank: the front three was too far ahead of the central midfield three, which was too far ahead of the back four. That meant that rather than the team being compact from front to back, perhaps spread by only 30 yards, they were spread throughout the pitch, with Frankfurt finding it extremely easy to play through the lines.</p>
<p>This is a <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=unai+emery%22>Unai Emery</a> problem. He is the head coach. A key part of his job is to organise the team. There is an individual element to this, of course, but the team was extremely poorly organised. Frankfurt had 24 shots, forced Emiliano Martinez into seven saves, some of which were truly outstanding, and had an expected-goals of 1.6 per Opta. Arsenal did not defend well, and that was because they were poorly structured.</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/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1. Welcome to the first team, Bukayo Saka </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-90243" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1152229555-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – MAY 28: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal trains during an Arsenal training session on the eve of the UEFA Europa League Final against Chelsea at Baku Olimpiya Stadion on May 28, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>1. Welcome to the first team, Bukayo Saka</h4>
<p>If you wanted a story of the match, you need not look far. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=bukayo+saka%22>Bukayo Saka</a>, while not named my personal Man of the Match, was the star of the show. And for perfectly good reason. He was excellent, producing several moments of brilliance that inspired Arsenal to this hard-earned away victory.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>Obviously, there is the goal, which was phenomenal. Most people groaned when he did not slip Nicolas Pepe in, instead choosing to control the ball and shift inside. But he backed up his confidence in his ability with a terrific, curling finish into the far corner. Then there were the two assists, the first of which showcased his direct dribbling as he skipped through a Frankfurt defender and teed up Joe Willock, the second displaying terrific work ethic and pressing to win the ball back and then thread a quick pass into Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s grateful path.</p>
<p>More than just the individual moments, though, Saka attempted eight dribbles, the most of any player on the pitch, created five chances in total, and had two shots, both of which were on target. There are still problems with his game. He is young and inexperienced, and it shows at times, especially when trying to execute the nuances of playing out wide (contrast his overall performance to Aubameyang’s), but the talent is undeniable.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Arsenal Vs Eintracht Frankfurt: Player ratings" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-player-ratings-joe-willock-superstar/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-5-things-learned-hello-bukayo-saka/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2019/09/19/arsenal-vs-eintracht-frankfurt-player-ratings-joe-willock-superstar/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Arsenal Vs Eintracht Frankfurt: Player ratings </a> </div>
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<p>This was Saka’s first start of the season. He could not have done more to prove that he is ready for a greater opportunity. This will not be the last we see of the slaloming 18-year-old.</p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">
