Arsenal Served Unhealthy Rice at London Stadium

Just when we thought we have recovered from the massive thumping we received from Liverpool in December, our boys at Arsenal came up to devour our hopes with yet another nasty loss, not against Manchester United or Real Madrid but a West Ham United side who we should have easily sent packing even within the first forty-five minutes. Unfortunately, that was not the case in the early kick-off fixture of Saturday which saw the Gunners play as if it was a charity match.

Team selection was far from the problem on that day. It was a case of lack of zeal and commitment. Also our weaknesses in some areas came up so clear once again. We started well but fumbled for a greater part of the match to the frustration of many of the supporters. Worthy of note was the fact that our midfield and striking force had no unity, hence making life so difficult for Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang upfront. They hardly saw clear-cut chances. Did we miss Mesut Ozil? Maybe!

It was goalless in the first half and the second half which used to be our revival time did not deliver us this time. Instead, it was our opponent that went ahead shortly after halftime to put us under massive pressure. Since we failed to play like the big team that we are seen to be, we made two personalities scoop records off us.

Samir Nasri, our own ex-player and Declan Rice were the assist and goal providers respectively. It was Nasri’s first assist in his debut appearance for Manuel Pellegrini’s side and Rice’s first goal for West Ham. A poor defensive header from a corner kick cost us here. Same old story but it seems Kroenke is not concerned as long as he is making profit. Absolute rubbish!

We tried, tried and struggled to grab an equaliser afterwards and even with the introduction of Aaron Ramsey and Lucas Torreira, the Hammers were destined to leave the London Stadium with heads high and all three points. Arsenal got served RICE which caused great havoc to their digestive system.

Now, we are level on points with Manchester United after they recorded a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur yesterday. With the way we are going, we will most likely find ourselves in the Europa League for a third time in three consecutive seasons next season because a top four finish looks so bleak. This is not pessimism. I am just being realistic.

Tough task ahead! We will be hosting Chelsea this weekend and only God knows what will happen on that day. I just pray we do not fumble and record another woeful loss. We could be so unpredictable at times. If we are to go by recent performances, it wouldn’t be difficult to conclude that we will get screwed on Saturday but you know how things could turn around even in the hardest time.