As Arsenal dropped more points against Swansea, who didn’t play to their usual high standard?
Arsenal would have hoped to re-pay supporters with a big result against Swansea City, but dropped more points thanks to a late Mathieu Flamini own goal.
With Manchester City beating United last night, Arsenal are left looking over their shoulders in to hang onto fourth place ahead of Everton, rather than focusing on a title challenge.
Arsenal face City this weekend, while Everton have a game in hand, so the six point gap between the two teams could soon look a lot more uncomfortable for the Gunners.
The 2-2 draw with Swansea was far from a vintage win, and there were a number of players who did not live up to their usual high standards.
We have highlighted three who in key areas delivered the worst displays of their seasons to date.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s passing:
| Player | Match | Matchday | Passing accuracy | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Arsenal vs Crystal Palace | 24 | 84.34 | 90 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Arsenal vs Aston Villa | 01 | 83.33 | 45 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Liverpool vs Arsenal | 25 | 80.95 | 90 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Chelsea vs Arsenal | 31 | 78.26 | 45 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Spurs vs Arsenal | 30 | 77.78 | 85 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Arsenal vs Swansea | 29 | 65.71 | 57 |
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might have been suspended for this game but was handed a reprieve by the FA after his handball against Chelsea. He tried to influence the game having four shots, but only one landed on target and was substituted after 57 minutes. Worse was his pass accuracy of 65.7%, the worst he has recorded in any game this season in which he has played more than 45 minutes.
Mathieu Flamini’s tackling:
| Name | Match | Matchday | Won Tackle | Own Goals | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathieu Flamini | Aston Villa vs Arsenal | 21 | 5 | 0 | 90 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Man City vs Arsenal | 16 | 3 | 0 | 72 |
| Mathieu Flamini | West Brom vs Arsenal | 07 | 2 | 0 | 90 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal vs Stoke | 05 | 2 | 0 | 90 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal vs Spurs | 03 | 2 | 0 | 47 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal vs Swansea | 29 | 0 | 1 | 90 |
Fans were complaining at defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini being left out against Chelsea, but having been selected against Chelsea he was particularly uninspiring. The Frenchman did not win a single tackle, well short of the five he won against Aston Villa several games ago. To make matters worse, the 30-year-old scored an unfortunate injury time own goal to cost his side two points.
Bacary Sagna’s crossing:
| Name | Match | Matchday | Crossing Accuracy % | Total Cross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacary Sagna | Man City vs Arsenal | 16 | 50.00 | 4 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal vs Southampton | 12 | 40.00 | 5 |
| Bacary Sagna | Crystal Palace vs Arsenal | 09 | 33.33 | 6 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal vs Cardiff | 20 | 33.33 | 3 |
| Bacary Sagna | Man Utd vs Arsenal | 11 | 33.33 | 9 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal vs Swansea | 29 | 0.00 | 5 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal vs Man Utd | 26 | 0.00 | 5 |
| Bacary Sagna | Liverpool vs Arsenal | 25 | 0.00 | 5 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal vs Chelsea | 17 | 0.00 | 5 |
French full-back Bacary Sagna is thought of as a reliable performer for Arsenal but he offered the club little going forward last night. All five of his attempted crosses failed to find a teammate, equally his worst stats for the season in this area. This was one of four occasions he has delivered these exact numbers, with three of four coming since early February.
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