A frustrating performance saw Arsenal draw 1-1 at the King Power Stadium against a resolute Leicester. Arsenal had their fair share of shots, 24, but couldn’t find the target on more than one occasion.
Leicester held their own superbly as they used their share of possession to maximum effect and looked quite dangerous on the counter.
Player Ratings
Szczesny - 7 - Played well throughout the game. Distributed the ball well and made a couple of good saves. Most notably a full stretch diving save from James Vardy’s shot in the second half to keep Arsenal in the game at 1-1.
Debuchy - 7 - Another solid performance at right back for Debuchy. Was settled and assured at all times in defence. Didn’t come forward as much as he usually does in this game but overall good performance.
Mertesacker - 6 - Partly to blame for the Ulloa goal, had a few nervous moments in defence. Not one of his better performances by far. The changing of partners meant the centre backs were all over the place at times.
Koscielny - 5 - A clatter of heads meant Laurent was off the pitch to receive treatment for a few minutes before coming back on and allowing Ulloa to equalize. Only played a total of 25 minutes before being substituted off.
Monreal - 6 - Was bombarded with attack after attack especially in the first half and dealt with it fairly well. Got forward on a number of occasions as well to whip in a few crosses. At times, he looked like he needed a bit more support from Ozil in tracking back but held his own quite well.
Ozil - 5 - Looked like a threat at times but didn’t do enough to break down a solid Leicester defence. Brushed off the ball a number of times with ease. Needs to find his form quickly.
Flamini - 5 - Couldn’t stop the flow of Leicester attacks and did not cover for his defence on a number of occasions. Felt like he had to do all the cleaning up and he was not up to the task.
Ramsey - 6 - Had more touches on the ball than any other Arsenal player on the pitch with 134. Found himself in the right spaces but none of his shots on goal troubled the Leicester keeper. Was crowded out by Leicester’s persistent pressing.
Cazorla - 7 - Had a fairly good game for Arsenal today. Was involved in the goal with the cross and played some decent passes and created a number of chances for himself and the team.
Alexis - 7 - Managed to score his first goal in the Premier League. Again ran tirelessly and created pockets of space for his teammates. Tried to cut into the box a number of times but was thwarted by the defence.
Sanogo - 5 - Not a good day for young Yaya Sanogo leading the line for Arsenal. Was caught offside on a number of occasions and when he had a shot on target, it either went out or was blocked off. Held up the ball fairly well and grabbed an assist but did not seem efficient by any stretch of the imagination in finishing his chances.
Substitutes
Podolski - 5 - Came on with 15 minutes on the clock but could only muster up a half chance.
Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6 - Ran at the defence with purpose and determination but couldn’t come up with any chances.
Chambers - 6 - Came on early in the game for Koscielny. Deputised well enough but was caught in no man’s land on a couple of occasions. Needs to improve on his last ditch tackles.
Two points lost for Arsenal in a tight encounter, when it really shouldn’t have been, against newly promoted Leicester. The cry by Arsenal fans for a new striker and a defensive midfielder grew louder as the clock wore down to full time.
Yaya Sanogo did not look up to scratch by any means. Arsene Wenger is right to say that Arsenal have a good number of strikers but they do not have a world class striker that can change the game.
With Deadline Day tomorrow, Arsene has his work cut out for him to improve this Arsenal side. Let’s hope he pulls it off. Only time will tell.
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