LONDON — Here was something Arsenal sorely needed at the start of the all too lengthy absence of Bukayo Saka, something managers crave most of all at this stage of the season: an extended workout, a prolonged session of at least 45 minutes to start smoothing out the issues that cannot run for over two months.
That is not written to denigrate Ipswich Town, whose battling second half gave their hosts something to think about, at least briefly. What they did not do, however, was capitalize on the moments where Arsenal chose to mess about and find out. At the death, Ipswich might even have got something (with their third shot of the game, one that sent their xG soaring from 0.04 to 0.16). Kieran McKenna’s side organized themselves excellently, kept the space between the lines at a premium and approached every challenge with gusto. In the second half they even managed to push up towards the Arsenal penalty area. They just are not quite good enough to test the Premier League’s best.
In that sense, they are exactly what Arsenal would want to test out an attack that must go through its second identity shift of the season. No Saka means no leading shooter, no chief chance creator, no number one method of ball progression. In short, it means a lot of adjustments on the fly.
From the outset Arteta lent into much the same approach he took when Martin Odegaard missed two months early in the season. Without a guy to run play through, fluidity would be the name of the game. “The replacement of Saka is going to be the team,” said Arteta. “Having minutes together, asking different things. There were moments it flowed really well, there were moments where we can improve it and adapt to the qualities of the individuals. I’m certain we’re going to do that.”
The team sheet might have had you believe that Gabriel Jesus would lead the line, flanked by Leandro Trossard on his left and Gabriel Martinelli on his right. For the most part that was how Arsenal landed, but there was not quite the static look of this team when Saka and Odegaard are doing their thing on the right hand side. The opening attack of the game saw Trossard move infield, Jesus looking to drift in off the left too while Kai Havertz pushed up to form a front two.
Before the half was out Martinelli, who began with plenty of temptingly hit crosses from the right, had drifted infield with the aim of chasing long balls over the top of the Ipswich line.
The common denominator was greater pressure on the penalty area, Havertz’s presence as the left eight meaning this was an XI with as much goal threat as Arteta could muster without Saka and Raheem Sterling. When it worked, Arsenal had just enough. A low cross from Trossard and Jesus was attacking the near post, Havertz the back. It came to the German and Arsenal had their goal.
It would be all they needed, but they could have had more. Havertz could have done better in the 75th minute. A patchy display from Odegaard still saw him beat three men and rasp a rising shot against the fingertips of Arijanet Muric. Substitute Mikel Merino curled temptingly wide. Most shockingly of all, king of set pieces Gabriel managed to head wide from three yards out.
It wasn’t particularly exhilarating, at times in the second half it was outright cumbersome. Certainly, they need more options for Arteta to turn to on a bench that contained four left backs and no real forward. Still, however, Arsenal worked the chances to win this game more tidily without their most reliable shot creator and taker.
Meanwhile, they blot out the sun at the other end. That no hitter game where their opponent doesn’t get a shot remains tantalizingly out of reach — Kalvin Phillips, did you have to hit one from there — but this is a backline that routinely gives David Raya nothing to do. Even when he and William Saliba decided to turn the second half kick off into a high farce, they managed to turn what promised to be a straight run at goal for Sammie Szmodics into a no shot situation. Since the last international break they have given up less xG than Tottenham allowed Liverpool on Sunday and the margin isn’t even that close. If your attack is going to be a Saka-free zone, at least your defense is replete with William Salibas, Gabriels and even Myles Lewis-Skellys, the latter as cool under pressure as he is ready to scrap when someone threatens his team mate.
“We should have scored more, but it’s the consistency,” said Arteta. “The team conceded nothing. The defensive behaviors were again outstanding. That’s something that’s always going to give us the chance to win games.”
And that probably is who Arsenal are going to need to be if they are to stay in the hunt for silverware over the two plus months they are without Saka, a side that gives up so little at their own end that they can cope without a top two or three forward in the Premier League this season. The attack might need time to work out how to thrive without the star man playing on the right. Happily for Arteta, however, the defense looks primed to give that to them.