Control and composure makes way for chaos as Arsenal struggle to shake off old habits against Crystal Palace

If the rousing wins against Manchester United and Leeds were the peak of Mikel Arteta’s honeymoon period as the new Arsenal manager, Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace served up a needed dose of reality.

What Arteta has achieved in the three weeks since being appointed has been encouraging, and shows why he should have been the first choice to replace Arsene Wenger. But that’s the past, and, presently, Arsenal are a fun club again for the right reasons, a team actually playing like a top side is supposed to – at least in spells until the familiar collapses occur.

The football, for about the first time in three years, is doing the talking – as seen in Arsenal’s brilliant first-half goal. David Luiz, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette combined to add the finishing touches to a fluid, 18-pass build-up that Arsene Wenger or Pep Guardiola would fantasise about coaching, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang eventually played through to score. The team goal was celebrated as that. Almost every player in yellow huddled together, a side united.

Having immediately lifted the club, Arteta must now sit down to find a way to eradicate the old habits for good. After deservedly taking the lead 12 minutes into the game, Arsenal gradually dropped off, lapsed in defence and lost all discipline.

A disastrous 15-minute spell in the second half for the Gunners saw Palace equalise through Jordan Ayew’s deflected shot before Aubameyang was sent off for an irrational and dangerous challenge on Max Meyer.

The discipline in general across the whole team was poor. Arsenal’s players became more involved with the referee and their opponents than the game or any plan they were trying to execute. Whether it was a coy Palace tactic or not, it certainly disrupted Arsenal’s play and prevented them from finding the kind of passing rhythm that caused the hosts so many problems early on.

In truth, the game should have been over before half-time. Arsenal had enough dominance and openings to punish Palace for their sloppy start. But without a confident defence that can withstand anything thrown its way, Arteta needs to help Arsenal put themselves well-beyond their opposition to take them to the next level. It’s an issue Frank Lampard has come up against in his time at Chelsea, and something that sets Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp apart from the other top managers in the league.

The Arsenal performances either side of half time were in baffling contrast. All the control and discipline early on quickly paved way to chaos.

It was in this same fixture at the end of October which produced one of Arsenal’s lowest moments in recent years. Granit Xhaka’s tantrum at being substituted saw him stripped of the captaincy and further reduced the club to a laughing stock.

The former captain here once again captured the mood. Xhaka was excellent in the first half, orchestrating the midfield and cutting out the half-spaces for Palace’s creative players to exploit, but he and the midfield faded into the background when Lucas Torreira was forced off at the break with an injury. The gaps between Arsenal’s midfield and defence grew stretched as all organisation disappeared. The second things went wrong after Aubameyang was sent off, he and his teammates appeared to cower from the fight.

Arsenal have struggled against Roy Hodgson’s rigid side in recent meetings, so this was never going to be a walk in the park, but what was alarming was the capitulation when things starting going against them, so much so that the hosts may feel short-changed for their draw.

Arsenal, who remain below Crystal Palace in the league table, can still dream of a place in the top four if Arteta can find a way to dispel the soft core in this side for good. All the right processes and mindsets have been installed during his brief time as manager. But, for now, scratch beneath the surface and all the wrong ones remain.