Raya the fall guy as Gunners suffer defeat in northern France

Lens 2  Arsenal 1    
Champions League Matchday 2 
Tuesday 3rd September 2023 8.45pm (local time)    

There was some minor rotation by Mikel Arteta for Arsenal’s first Champions League away fixture since Monaco back in 2017. A lot has changed since then, although game management has often proven a challenge in Europe. Trossard and Tomiyasu came in for Nketiah and White. It didn’t feel like a downgrade given the relative abilities of the players concerned.
 
It was a busy opening spell, and although Arsenal did well to go one up after 13 minutes when Saka intercepted a back pass, teeing up Jesus for an excellent finish, Lens had already gone close to scoring twice. The lead only lasted about ten minutes as a crossfield Raya pass intended for Tomiyasu – the keeper well outside of his area – was intercepted. The resulting move – which did involve use of the arm missed by the officials – concluded with a top-drawer finish beating the keeper – who was a little off his line. Raya might have saved it had he been all the way back, but it was such a quality strike, we can’t really say. What is beyond dispute is that his intercepted pass led to the goal. It was another example of the team losing possession in their own half and being punished for it. The downside of Artetaball. 
 
Things got worse before the interval when Bukayo Saka had to be replaced by Vieira, hardly ideal given next weekend’s fixture. I suspect Saka will be patched up and start on Sunday, although it wasn’t obvious how bad the injury was. He’s had to be withdrawn due to injury three matches in a row now and was certainly on the pitch at Bournemouth far longer than he needed to be, as his team were three goals up and some subs had already been made. No doubt he is an important player, but he needs an element of protection at the same time, especially as he is often targeted by the opposition. 
 
Arsenal had the majority of the possession and several chances to score. The ball was agonisingly close to the goal three times with the keeper out of the picture, only to see a Lens defender get a block or deflection that prevented a goal. Fortune went against the visitors. A raucous home crowd, including a standing terrace at the side of the pitch, lifted Lens, although that was hardly a surprise to anyone. You did feel the Italian referee was a little generous in his decisions when the French side’s players hit the deck with minimal contact. 
 
Lens’ winner was a good move that saw a low cross finished with aplomb. It came a little before 70 minutes had been played and Arteta was about to make three substitutions to freshen things up. A lot of his players put in disappointing performances. Too many failed to influence the game – in spite of seeing plenty of the ball. It’s easier to name those that did okay – Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice and Jesus were up to some kind of par. Saka only played just over half an hour and did okay in that time. Yet despite this, the visitors fashioned enough chances to win, and beaten by two excellent finishes, it simply wasn’t their night. 
 
There may be lessons to learn about the art of taking the steam out of an away match at 1-0 up, but that isn’t Arteta’s style. We’ll have to learn to live with it, although it does feel like a weakness. Wenger’s teams were not always the best at killing matches either, which might explain his inability to win a European trophy in his 20 odd attempts. Vieira, Smith Rowe, Nelson and Nketiah all came on at some stage but couldn’t fashion the necessary second goal their team required. It was a frustrating evening. 
 
So it goes, PSV’s home draw with Sevilla leaves the group very open. Arsenal need to win their three home matches and just one point away in their other two games would likely see them through to the last 16. If they cannot manage that, you would have to wonder if Arteta is cut out for the nuances of European football. His record is patchy on that front. 
 
There is a nice omen looking back to Lens’ previous participation in the Champions League. In the 2002/03 group stage they defeated Milan 2-1 at home. The Italian side went on to win the trophy, the final being held in England (albeit Old Trafford rather than Wembley). A bit of straw clutching there for you.
 
This was the Gunners’ first defeat of the season, and they were a little unlucky. Not a great performance, but certainly they were good enough for a draw. Sometimes it’s just not your day, but in European group stages, it doesn’t have to be fatal. Regroup, prepare for Manchester City and then hope everyone comes through the international break unscathed. 

 
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