Against the high-pressing Inter Milan, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes looked fairly sound at the back as Arsenal suffered a 1-0 Champions League defeat to Inter Milan. William Saliba was always in control of Lautaro Martínez while making timely important interventions that drew praise for him, but, in turn, Gabriel remained composed and held his line well.
Arsenal’s attack went flat, however, as Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz suffered a lot of criticism. Trossard couldn’t produce his usual creativity to tear Inter’s defence apart while Havertz missed a very clear chance and generally failed to have any good pace, which had ramifications for Arsenal’s offensive threat during the ninety minutes. According to ESPN, Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Çalhanoglu retained his record by converting a penalty.
Current situation of Arsenal
This result sets the Gunners up for a stronger finish to go through into the Champions League. The Gunners will look to turn their domestic fortunes around as they digest the lessons from this difficult European night.
In Arsenal’s close match against Inter Milan, many of their players were more than capable of going about their business with good performances, while others were poor and contributed to a harrowing night for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Defensive performance
Defense Standouts: William Saliba was composed at the back, especially where he was involved with Lautaro Martínez in duels. His positioning and timing helped in nullifying several Inter attacks. His central defence partner, Gabriel, was also strong, making crucial clearances and organizing the defence line against intense pressure by Inter’s frontline.
Midfield Play: Declan Rice was one of Arsenal’s vibrant playmakers. He was operating behind the backline and striving to release fast counter-attacks, if at times good, marking apart. Arsenal transitioned on his runs into and out of space at times but never launched proper attacks. Creativity was much lacking in midfield, and Martin Ødegaard found little way to unlock Inter’s defence with his typical incisiveness.
Much of Arsenal’s defence showed resiliency in a match that saw the side narrowly lose against Inter Milan. The team was unable to seem forward outside of chances. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes held the defensive line together. In this game, Saliba’s marking on Lautaro Martínez was well located as well, and even under pressure, a big part of Gabriel’s organization kept the game from slipping away early.
Attacking performance
Poor attacking football: The two attacking players did not sparkle during the match. Trossard, who often provides width and variability in attack, was not able to come up with decisive passes or create scoring opportunities as Inter’s defence was well drilled. In particular, Havertz had a very bad game. His movements and positioning did not work for him, and he wasted a good scoring opportunity. His lack of urgency contributed to the stagnation that Arsenal had in front of the goal.
Goalkeeper and Full-backs: Aaron Ramsdale, while not overly stretched by shots at goal, kept his box in hand and made some crucial saves to keep Arsenal in the game. The full-backs, Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko, struggled also. White, otherwise a reliable player, was exposed at times down the right; Zinchenko’s contributions were limited by Inter’s wingers’ pure pace.
Substitutions and Tactical Switches: Arteta’s efforts at shaking things up late in the game included introducing players like Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira. Neither made any real difference for the Gunners, though, as Inter’s tight central defence bottled everything up. Smith Rowe barely ever got into space, while Vieira’s inventive spark ended up being a dead issue with the evening running its course.
This will mean that the Gunners need a level of performance at home that is superior to their displayed away performances and which they have been dreaming about in this Champions League to go ahead.
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