Stoke vs Arsenal: Five things we learned as Jese Rodriguez makes debut to remember as wasteful Gunners lose
Arsene Wenger gets his defence wrong again, Jack Butland establishes himself as England's No 1 and why Arsenal's big guns cannot afford to misfire
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Your support makes all the difference.Monreal not a centre-back at all
The sight of Nacho Monreal in the starting line-up is enough to send a shiver down any Arsenal fan’s spine, yet when it’s at centre-back, it really must be asked what on earth is Arsene Wenger doing?
The back-three of Monreal, Rob Holding and Sead Kolasinac was brutally exposed against Leicester on the opening day of the Premier League, and even though the experienced Shkodran Mustafi returned at Stoke, there were still two left-backs in the Arsenal back-three. Monreal is not a defender who should be in any starting line-up challenging for the title, judging him on his performances over the last two years, and this was yet another example.
Monreal looked nervous in the middle of the back-three, where he was also the shortest, and he struggled to cope with any high balls being launched into the middle. Yet when the ball was on the deck, he allowed new signing Jese Rodriguez to ghost past him and score the opener. Until Wenger does something to address this, Arsenal’s defence will always be as solid as a chocolate teapot.
Hughes relief as Jese makes his mark
The biggest smile as Jese tucked away his first goal in the Potteries did not come from the player himself, but from his manager back in the dugout. Mark Hughes will have known that the loan signing of the former Real Madrid striker from PSG was a risk, given he has not played regularly for his entire professional career, and while he arrives with vast potential it could be a deal that goes pear-shaped very quickly.
Yet Jese was perfect for what Hughes is achieving at Stoke, with the Spaniard dropping deep, driving straight at the Arsenal defence and giving his side an extra dimension that provides space for those around him.
That Xherdan Shaqiri wasn’t able to make the most of this due to injury was a shame, but Jese already looks an astute signing.
Arsenal unlucky not to get a penalty
The collision between Hector Bellerin and Mame Biram Diouf split opinions over its legitimacy, but while Andre Marriner chose not to point to the penalty spot, there’s no doubt Arsenal can feel hard done by.
Bellerin was free to take a shot on goal when Diouf lost his footing in the soaking conditions and slipped forward, colliding with Bellerin’s right foot and taking him out as a result. Marriner, slightly unsighted from his position on the edge of the area, judged it not to be a foul and waved play on as the Arsenal players protested.
At this point Arsenal probably deserved the bit of luck they needed as they were the slightly better team in a drab first half, but sometimes it just goes against you.
Butland keeps Stoke afloat
While Joe Hart reflects on conceding seven goals in his first two games back in the Premier League, Jack Butland is busy asserting himself as England’s new No 1. The Stoke goalkeeper has done incredibly well to come back from a broken ankle that led to further complications, and he is now returning to – and possibly exceeding – the standards that he was setting when he was handed an England call-up.
Butland made a number of good saves from Danny Welbeck in their own intra-battle, and he also did well to prevent Aaron Ramsey in the second half.
Gareth Southgate may have been at Anfield to watch Liverpool’s encounter with Crystal Palace, but he will be more than aware that his permanent No 1 was doing his thing at the Bet365 Stadium.
Arsenal’s big guns misfire
Mesut Özil was anonymous – not for the first time in his career – Alexandre Lacazette was kept quiet beyond a goal that was correctly ruled offside and Danny Welbeck endured a miserable time in front of goal as he spurned chance after chance, not least due to Butland’s heroics.
Arsenal have plenty of fire power at their disposal, but this showing did nothing to dispel the theory that they need talisman Alexis Sanchez to get them through the season in a competitive manner. The Chile international is currently sidelined with a rib injury, though he may yet leave the club for good.
Unless the aforementioned players – along with the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey – can pick up the slack left by Sanchez’s absence, Arsenal are going to be in a struggle once again just to finish in the top four.
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