Arsenal rallied at the death. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Positive #2: Team spirit
Despite the result, there is very clearly a strong team spirit among the squad and that was on display again last night. Our almost-comeback would not have been possible without it and it is evident that every single player gives their all for each other on the pitch. This has been the case all season, however, team spirit comes naturally when you are winning. To still have that connection between the players in difficult times is far more important, and it stems from Arteta himself.
After the final whistle, the Spaniard was keen to express his support for his players, posing the question: “How can I not love those players?”.
Whether we can win the Premier League remains to be seen, but if we are successful, our team spirit will be a huge reason why.
Negative #2: Another set-piece goal conceded
Conceding goals from set plays, specifically corners, has been an Achilles heel of ours ever since the Qatar World Cup ended. Once one of our greatest assets, this area of our game has become a massive weakness.
The corner goal we conceded against Southampton was the hammer blow, and had we avoided doing so, there is every chance we would’ve been able to secure the victory. It is far more than a personnel issue with the system appearing to be at fault. Arteta must find a quick fix to this problem.
Continued on the next slide…
pic.twitter.com/GIWJkVPW5l
<p>— Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1649519514189479937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 21, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>Positive #1: Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka</h2>
<p>As Arsenal fans, I believe sometimes we forget just how lucky we are to have these two players representing our club. Not only are they frighteningly good – they <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/top-scorers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boast a combined Premier League goal involvements figure</a> of 44 this season – but they are also incredibly young. At just 21 years of age, the pair are still in the developing stage of their careers and are yet to reach what would be considered their prime years.</p>
<p>Against Southampton, they were once again two of our best players and were arguably the main reason we had any chance of salvaging the match. The result was disappointing, but our future remains bright with Martinelli and Saka likely to be at the forefront of any success we achieve under Arteta.</p>
<h2>Negative #1: Slow start</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most frustrating thing about this game was how the team started the game. Following our two most recent results, I, and I suspect most other fans, were expecting a reaction in this game – a statement victory to some degree.</p>
<p>However, an early mistake by Ramsdale, which saw us concede inside the first minute ensured that wasn’t going to be the case. To make matters worse, we failed to take control of the game after that incident and soon found ourselves two goals down to the bottom side in the league.</p>
<p>Arteta expressed his disappointment at our slow start to the match in his <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"https://www.arsenal.com/news/every-word-mikels-post-southampton-presser">post-match press conference. </a></p>
<blockquote><p>“Instead of going one or two-nil up, and everything goes in your favour, it starts to go in a much more difficult way. That doesn’t help.”</p></blockquote>
<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/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 positive and negative </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_133875" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-133875" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1483922169.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483922169.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483922169-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal rallied at the death. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>Positive #2: Team spirit</h2>
<p>Despite the result, there is very clearly a strong team spirit among the squad and that was on display again last night. Our almost-comeback would not have been possible without it and it is evident that every single player gives their all for each other on the pitch. This has been the case all season, however, team spirit comes naturally when you are winning. To still have that connection between the players in difficult times is far more important, and it stems from Arteta himself.</p>
<p>After the final whistle, the <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"https://www.arsenal.com/news/arteta-how-can-i-not-love-those-players">Spaniard was keen to express</a> his support for his players, posing the question: “How can I not love those players?”.</p>
<p>Whether we can win the Premier League remains to be seen, but if we are successful, our team spirit will be a huge reason why.</p>
<h2>Negative #2: Another set-piece goal conceded</h2>
<p>Conceding goals from set plays, specifically corners, has been an Achilles heel of ours ever since the Qatar World Cup ended. Once one of our greatest assets, this area of our game has become a massive weakness.</p>
<p>The corner goal we conceded against Southampton was the hammer blow, and had we avoided doing so, there is every chance we would’ve been able to secure the victory. It is far more than a personnel issue with the system appearing to be at fault. Arteta must find a quick fix to this problem.</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/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 positive and negative </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_133876" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-133876" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1483937818.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483937818.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483937818-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal rescued a point after falling 3-1 behind. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>Positive #3: The late rally</h2>
<p>In many ways, the fact we needed a late rally in the first place is a negative. However, the passion and desire the players showed towards the end of the game were incredible. In true captain fashion, Martin Odegaard began the onslaught with his effort from the edge of the box, and from that moment on, Southampton were clinging on.</p>
<p>When Saka scored the equaliser, there was initially a feeling of inevitability regarding the winner, with the vast majority of our memories being cast back to those victories against both Aston Villa and Bournemouth.</p>
<p>That goal unfortunately never materialised, but it was an incredible ten-minute period nonetheless.</p>
<h2>Negative #3: Advantage Manchester City</h2>
<p>However, if it wasn’t already advantage Manchester City in the title race, it certainly is now. Two more points dropped means that we are just five points above Pep Guardiola’s side, with the Sky Blues also having two games in hand over us.</p>
<p>That essentially makes our clash with the reigning champions a must-win game for us if we are able to keep our dream of winning our first Premier League title since 2004 alive.</p>
<p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/23/3-positives-and-negatives-from-3-3-draw-against-southampton/2/"https://www.arsenal.com/news/jesus-every-point-can-decide-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabriel Jesus labelled</a> the all-important match as a final after the draw against Southampton.</p>
<blockquote><p>Tt’s a final. Each game is a final, we have to face them like a final. This is the most important game of the season for us.”</p></blockquote>
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<p>Jesus’ mindset is shared by us all, and we must hope that Arteta is able to restore confidence and belief back into the side before that game.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
