Arsenal vs Leeds United | Three Crucial Points to Note From the Game

Arsenal extended their lead over Tottenham by four points with a 2-1 win over relegation threatened Leeds United. The Gunners took the lead through Eddie Nketiah after an awful mistake by Illan Meslier. Meslier was unable to control a backpass and Nketiah took full advantage to score the opener.

Within five minutes, Nketiah scored his second goal after a cut-back from Gabriel Martinelli inside the penalty box. Over the last few weeks, the English striker has fully compassed his role as a poacher, scoring some significant goals for the Gunners.

Leeds went down to 10 men at the half-hour mark after Ayling’s rash tackle on Martinelli. Odegaard and Martinelli had chances in the second half to seal the game. Junior Firpo’s corner-kick fell kindly for Diego Llorente who slotted it home. Rodrigo’s late header was the closest Leeds came to an equaliser in the closing stages. Despite a nervy end, Arsenal were able to hold on to a win against Leeds United and a win against Tottenham this week will confirm their Champions League spot.

The Whites dropped to the relegation zone after Everton’s win over Leicester and Burnley look in good touch as well. Jesse Marsch’s side have 34 points and require a point to get out of relegation zone. Let’s look at three things we learnt from the Arsenal vs Leeds United game:

1. Nketiah Has Improved Drastically In The Last Few Weeks

The 23-year-old will be out of contract next month but seems to have picked up a purple patch in the last few games. This was his third goal against Leeds United. The young striker has shown his potential with two braces in five starts and has nine goals across all competitions and will no doubt have to be given assurances over his involvement next season if Arteta wishes to keep him.

Eddie Nketiah, Arsenal vs Leeds United — Image obtained via: Getty Images

He has been constantly criticised for his poor shot conversion rate and missing easy goal-scoring opportunities. Nevertheless, he always has a high work-rate and is extremely dedicated towards chasing down the ball from opposition defenders. His recent form was necessary for Arteta’s side to get their top-four hopes back on track.

The Fixture List Has Been Kind To Arsenal This Season

The top-four race this season has been an inconsistent one. Chelsea, Man United, West Ham, Spurs and Arsenal themselves have dropped points thorughout the season. The advantage for Arsenal was the lack of European football which gave them time to recover and play lesser number of games.

Arsenal certainly don’t have the squad depth to compete in four competitions next season and win a trophy. Injuries to Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu caused a huge drop in form against mid-table teams. Arteta has had time to work with the squad and identify the weaknesses, but they need to invest in multiple areas heavily in the transfer window to ensure all this hardwork doesn’t go to waste.

Arteta’s Contract Extension Is A Validation That The Board Trusts His Process

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has signed a three-year contract extension with Arsenal football club. The deal keeps the Spaniard at the Emirates until the end of the 2024-25 season. Since taking over from Unai Emery, he has coached the side for 127 games and managed 72 wins and 20 draws which is impressive considering it was a rebuild.

Arteta has used more than 25 players for his starting eleven this season. Due to injuries and suspensions, he has had to rotate the squad regularly, but he certainly has his starting eleven in mind for next season with a couple of reinforcements. The Spaniard has been talking about the need for squad depth for next season with replacements required for Elneny, Aubameyang and Lacazette. Kieran Tierney’s injury issues also pose a problem, while Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, and Bukayo Saka could also have better rotational options.

After Aubameyang went to Barcelona, Lacazette was made captain for the rest of the season temporarily. With Lacazette’s departure, it is time for Arteta to decide his future captain for many more years to come. Saka, Ramsdale, Gabriel and Tierney are all great options for the armband.

This season has been easy for Arteta in terms of fixture congestion with the team getting ample rest due to no European football. Thus, even the injuries to big players have not affected their top-four charge.

Next season, with European football under their belt, it will be a mighty challenge and they will need to invest heavily in squad depth. Arteta will need to make a strong start unlike previous years. They need to get their business in the transfer window done in advance and sell unwanted players like Pepe, Cedric, Leno and Saliba will be back as cover for Gabriel. They need to invest heavily on strikers and a right-back to remain competent next year.

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