At this point in the season I’m not really sure what I can that is different from what we’ve seen for the large part of the football calendar. Arsenal have had their eyes on other things for over a month now and that has been born out in the results we’ve had over the last month:

  • Draw at Everton
  • Draw at home to Brentford
  • Draw at home to Palace

And they all follow a similar pattern:

  • Arsenal dominate possession
  • Arsenal play at walking pace
  • Arsenal take the lead
  • Opposition team is gifted goal(s)

To be fair to Palace, they pressed well enough, but it was still a wonder strike that brought them level after Kiwior had scored with that fine header from a free kick. You have to admire the technique from Eze, but of course it was Palace’s first meaningful shot. But then again, we scored with ours and aside from a good effort wide from Rice in between our goals, Dean Henderson didn’t really have a lot to do in that first half. Trossard brought us back ahead with a fine finish after a fizzing ball from Timber was well controlled, but if I think back to that first half all I can remember are the goals and that Rice chance.

It was a forgettable half, it was a forgettable game, with Arsenal’s performance littered with mistakes, slips and brain farts that have me just a little concerned, I have to say. For Palace’s second goal it was another mistake by Saliba and then Raya stood practically on the edge of our box from where I stood, which is incredibly weird given that the ball was being contested in our third. You would have thought the natural compunction of a ‘keeper would be to retreat back a bit, but I guess this is the way Arteta wants his goalkeepers to play – like a spare outfield man – and so as a result, this kind of incicent can happen every once in a while.

Mateta will get the props, but the finish felt odd to me, not like he meant it, although I guess it was a shot towards goal so perhaps I should give him more credit. But much like Palace’s first goal (Jover was doing his nut on the sidelines because he called somebody to mark Eze on the edge of his box, who was alone), it felt very avoidable from an Arsenal perspective.

The Mateta goal was scored late, for sure, but we should really have done more to put the game to bed, but then again we’ve been saying that all season. Arsenal’s inability to convert level scores in to ones that are in our favour is really rankling me – and you too I’ll bet – and to have 13 draws in a season where you have aspirations of trying to compete for the title isn’t really good enough I’m afraid. The Invincibles season was one in which we were seen to be having too many draws in it and that one we finished on 12. The difference was that we won 26 of them. Arsenal don’t look like they are going to get anywhere near that this season; certainly not with the way we are playing in the league right now.

It’s frustrating because we only really need a couple more wins and then we can just play out the remainder of the season not really giving a monkey’s about where we finish, because we know we’ll be second. But the fact City have started picking up wins (we’re now only six points clear of them) shows just how turgid the last month has been domestically.

We know that it’s all eyes on PSG and Europe, we know that there’s little to play for in the league, but you still need to do your job and these lapses of concentration, these lacklustre performances, they don’t smack of a team who can just turn it on instantly. I hope I’m wrong, I’m probably just venting after a frustrating night at The Emirates, but yesterday I said once again “just do your job” and once again, these Arsenal players didn’t quite match up to the ‘Foggin estandards’.

Arteta will probably have them all in today doing doggies.

Is there any point going player-by-player on this game? Not really. I’ve called out Kiwior for his good header, for Trossard’s fine finish, then Saliba and Raya’s poor collective actions on the second Palace equaliser, but there doesn’t really feel like there’s any other points worth talking about. It’s frustrating because Palace weren’t great, but we weren’t either. A real ‘end of season’ feeler about this game.

Let’s hope this approach, the mistakes and the mentality isn’t anywhere on show next Tuesday against PSG.

Back tomorrow.