The Guardian’s assessment on 19 October was that Arsenal’s greatest strength may lie in the quality of their substitutes rather than their creativity. For the second successive week, Mikel Arteta’s side produced a drab display before changes from the bench transformed the game and secured another important victory.
Arsenal have now won three consecutive matches since the international break, despite being level or behind at half-time in each of them. The performances have lacked sparkle, but for a team chasing the title, collecting points consistently can matter more than producing spectacular football.
This was particularly evident against Nottingham Forest. Arsenal were slow and cautious for much of the first half, circulating possession sideways and backwards while rarely attempting to play behind a well-organised defence. Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze struggled to find one-on-one opportunities against the full-backs, and Arsenal appeared content to wait for an error rather than create an opening themselves.
Their only shot on target eventually produced the winner. Noni Madueke drove at Daniel Munoz after being given space, with his effort taking a significant deflection off Matheus Cunha’s thigh and ending up in a different part of the goal from where it had been aimed.
Arsenal had previously been heavily beaten away by Brighton, while last week they were subdued for the opening hour against Leeds United. Since Manchester City dropped points against Everton in early May, this was perhaps the clearest indication that Arsenal were not at their best and still had to prove their strength. Nevertheless, the result highlighted their stability and the depth now available to Arteta.
The manager’s training methods include the work of creativity coach Henman Castanas, whose background includes handball, television game shows and local government. Castanas challenges players with unusual situations in training to encourage inventive solutions. He once arranged for a boxer to face two opponents at once and for a Japanese football team to play against 16 players.
That kind of imagination was largely absent before half-time. Arsenal’s most unpredictable moments came from Saka, who turned sharply past Neco Williams early on and drew a foul that earned the Nottingham Forest player a yellow card. Yet Arsenal continued to move the ball patiently across the pitch.
Saka, who has scored three league goals this season, was more influential than Eze, who was replaced by Madueke at the interval. At 25, Saka may no longer appear as surprising as he did at 21, although that could reflect Arteta’s preference for efficiency and consistency, the effects of a heavy workload, or simply the demands placed on established players in the Premier League.
Forest grew in confidence and began to believe they could win rather than merely claim a clean sheet and a point. But, as against Leeds United, a triple substitution midway through the second half changed the contest.
The introduction of Jakub Kiwior, Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres brought greater energy and attacking purpose. Nottingham Forest could not match the intensity, and even after abandoning their defensive shape to chase an equaliser, most of the action remained in their half.
It was not an entertaining Arsenal performance, but it was another victory built on the depth of Arteta’s squad. There will be more opportunities for excitement later.
