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Arsenal “were scared” during the second half of Sunday’s 2-2 draw away to Watford in the Premier League, according to club captain Granit Xhaka.
The midfielder spoke to Sky Sports (h/t Joe Krishnan of the London Evening Standard) after the Gunners blew a two-goal lead against the team bottom of the division and failed to move up to third in the table:
“What went wrong? That’s a good question. At half-time we went to the dressing room and everything was good. Everyone was happy but we came out and played such a bad second half. You have to say we are happy to take a point.
We were scared in the second half. We knew they would come at us and push us hard but we have to show more character and not be scared. We have spoken about it. We cannot give a performance like this in the second half.”
Sky Sports Premier League @SkySportsPL
“We have to be happy to take a point…”
An angry Granit Xhaka reacts to Arsenal’s capitulation against Watford
Report: https://t.co/nxbJ70N5Q1 https://t.co/Cdx8wB5LMl
Arsenal appeared to be coasting after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit two goals in 11 first-half minutes at Vicarage Road. Those goals helped the visitors overcome a nervy start during which the Hornets created plenty of chances.
However, a combination of Aubameyang’s ruthless efficiency and the vision of Mesut Ozil, making his first start of the season, bailed the Gunners out of trouble:
James Benge @jamesbenge
A bad plan from Emery that was largely quite poorly executed in that first half. But it’s a lot easier to get away with these mistakes when you’ve got Aubameyang and Ozil in your team.
Despite a two-goal cushion, there were warning signs for Arsenal, most notably the number of times Watford had come close to pinching possession in the opposition box while the visitors stuck rigidly to trying to play out from the back.
Those warnings were ignored, though, and the Gunners eventually paid a heavy price when Tom Cleverley got one back in the 56th minute. The goal came about from centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos misplacing a pass in the area.
Arsenal’s penchant for inviting problems helped Watford total 31 shots compared to the away side’s seven. A mistake-prone defence eventually buckled under such heavy pressure when David Luiz felled Roberto Pereyra to give away a penalty with nine minutes remaining, the second spot-kick Luiz has conceded since joining the club from Chelsea this summer.
Pereyra equalised from 12 yards, but Arsenal boss Unai Emery wouldn’t single out specific errors:
John Cross @johncrossmirror
Unai Emery refused to blame individuals, but how many David Luiz mistakes is it now that has led directly to a goal? Incredible. Rob Holding and the full backs can’t come back soon enough and surely Calum Chambers is a better option.
Emery also said “you never need to be scared” when asked about Xhaka’s damming assessment, per Football.London’s Joe Doyle and James Benge.
While Emery might be encouraging some bravery, he should be worried about how easily opposing teams are creating chances against the Gunners:
Duncan Alexander @oilysailor
Arsenal have faced 96 shots this season, more than any other side in the PL, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 & the Bundesliga. Some effort that.
Those numbers appear to indicate a passivity about the way Arsenal are approaching games this season. Emery has enough match-winners in the final third at his disposal, including Aubameyang, playmaker Mesut Ozil and club-record signing Nicolas Pepe, to encourage a more proactive brand of football.
A 2-0 lead at the half can always be tenuous, yet if the Gunners had shown more gumption and quality in pursuit of a third goal, the fear Xhaka felt was tangible after Cleverley scored likely never would have surfaced.
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