3 positives & negatives as Arsenal rescue point at the Bridge

Speaking after the game, Arteta was keen to praise this aspect of our game, saying:</p> <blockquote><p>“I have no doubt about that, I could see at half-time that there was a knife between our teeth, and we accepted that we have to do much better. The game state was there for us and we had that belief and even when we conceded the goal and the way we conceded, we continued to be like this, and I loved that about the team.”</p></blockquote> <p>The players proved once again that they have the mental fortitude needed to sustain a serious title charge.</p> <h2>Negative #2: Didn’t push for the win</h2> <p>Obviously, rescuing a point having been two goals down against a resurging Chelsea side should be applauded, but I was disappointed that after scoring the equaliser, the team failed to push for a winner with any real conviction.</p> <p>We had the momentum, we had the players needed to score the winner and we should have had the belief needed to score the winner given our tendency to score late goals. Instead, what ensued was a cagey final ten minutes in which both teams looked afraid to lose the game.</p> <p>Sometimes you have to protect what you’ve got, but in this case, I feel as though there was a real opportunity to miraculously steal all three points.</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/2023/10/22/3-positives-negatives-arsenal-rescue-point-chelsea/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 positive and negative </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137072" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-137072" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/22/3-positives-negatives-arsenal-rescue-point-chelsea/3/"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%2F1737960179.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1737960179.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1737960179-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1737960179-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Trossard pokes home the equaliser. (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h2>Positive #3: Impact from the bench</h2> <p>Our substitutes making an impact from the bench has been a much-needed addition to our Arsenal this season, and it once again helped us get points from this game.</p> <p>Trossard is the obvious candidate for praise in this regard having scored the equaliser, however, I also thought Takehiro Tomiyasu was excellent when he came on and made a difference at both ends of the pitch.</p> <p>Our increased strength in depth is very impressive and will help to ensure that the side does not endure another end-of-season collapse as we saw last campaign.</p> <h2>Negative #3: The goalkeeping conundrum</h2> <p>Another game, another reason for us fans to delve into the goalkeeping conundrum at Arsenal. Raya’s last three matches have seen the Spaniard make a compilation of errors, particularly in the first half against Manchester City, as well as mistakes leading to goals against both RC Lens and in this game too.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="LPEFNmdkho"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/22/3-positives-negatives-arsenal-rescue-point-chelsea/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/22/five-talking-points-from-arsenals-uninspiring-draw-against-chelsea/">5 talking points from Arsenal’s uninspiring draw against Chelsea</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“5 talking points from Arsenal’s uninspiring draw against Chelsea” — Pain in the Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/22/3-positives-negatives-arsenal-rescue-point-chelsea/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/22/five-talking-points-from-arsenals-uninspiring-draw-against-chelsea/embed/#?secret=JFY8QQVJmq#?secret=LPEFNmdkho" data-secret="LPEFNmdkho" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div> <p>We are yet to fully benefit from the switch between the posts Arteta has decided to make, and until that happens, the <a title="Aaron Ramsdale determined to win back starting job for sake of England career" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/22/3-positives-negatives-arsenal-rescue-point-chelsea/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/10/19/aaron-ramsdale-determined-win-back-starting-job/" rel="">Aaron Ramsdale</a>/David Raya debate will continue to attract attention. As of right now, the situation doesn’t appear to be benefitting either keeper.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">