Mikel Arteta Reveals What Arsenal Need to Change to Beat Low Blocks

Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal need to be 'much more chaotic' when facing low blocks, after his side edged past Hull City with another narrow victory.

Martin Ødegaard's second-half strike was enough to secure a 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, but Arsenal were made to work hard by a resilient Hull side who were pragmatic and limited their opportunities.

It was the latest in a string of tight results for the Premier League leaders. Four of Arsenal's last five league wins have been decided by a single goal, including 1-0 victories over Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.

Asked about how often his side are winning by such fine margins, Arteta said finishing was the biggest issue.

'We need to be more efficient,' he said. 'We were one-on-one with the 'keeper twice, and there was a penalty there too. There are shots deflected, blocked. We need to insist, find ways to be more efficient and pragmatic.'

Arteta is arguably right that Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty. Kai Havertz was pulled back by Hull defender Nobel Mendy inside the box. The referee confirmed the foul after a VAR review, but ruled that Havertz had been in an offside position, though this has been viewed an incorrect application of the law. 

Arteta also suggested his side can sometimes be too patient when trying to break teams down.

'Sometimes we try to score the perfect goal against low blocks, but we need to be much more chaotic than that,' he added. 'If we open the scoring much earlier also, it changes the game.'

Arsenal's struggles in front of goal have been a recurring theme this season. Their defence remains the best in the Premier League, but they have not always been as convincing in attack, with their forwards often struggling for end product.

Havertz, who scored the winner at Anfield last weekend, was caught offside three times in the first half against Hull, taking his league total to 14, the most in the division. Arsenal are also without Bukayo Saka through injury, whilst Max Dowman is continuing to serve his suspension for violent conduct.

Despite those concerns, the results have continued to come. Arteta’s side has travelled to Aston Villa, Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, winning in every ground despite gaining just two points in the four grounds last campaign. 

The Gunners now enter the international break at the top of the Premier League table, after Manchester City suffered three consecutive league defeats.

They will continue to be tested in the coming games, as they are tasked with facing Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid in their next five.