Brentford 2–0 Arsenal

Arsenal take on Brentford in the first game of the Premier League season! Newly promoted Brentford haven’t seen top-flight football in 73 years, and will be looking to make a statement. Arsenal, on the other hand, know they have to face Manchester City and Chelsea in the coming weeks, so this is a must-win. 

Arsenal are back! And so is their reputation, after losing to newly promoted Brentford. People are always saying, “Trust the process” when talking about Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager. What process? How have Arsenal progressed more than when Arsène Wenger was coach? At least under Wenger, they made it to Europe. Today, Arsenal brought nothing onto the pitch. Their defense was as bad as could be, which is saying a lot; it seems that every game Arsenal are trying to run their back line into the ground. 

What stood out to me tonight was how susceptible the Gunners’ fullbacks were. Every time the two went forward, they left a gap behind them that wouldn’t be filled by a fellow centerback. Brentford took advantage of that by playing long balls into those gaps for Bryan Mbeumo to run into. Still on the subject of defense, Bernd Leno was another casualty of Arteta’s “Masterclass.” He’ll be ridiculed for letting the first shot in at his near post, but the German did not have a good view of it. For the second goal, critics will say he should have punched the ball clear, but he was blocked by a Brentford player, and it was the back line's responsibility to get to the ball, not Leno’s. In fact, in the 66th minute, he made a great save to deny Mbeumo, diving low to parry the ball away. This shows that Leno was a positive for Arsenal.

Arsenal were toothless going forward, so I don’t have much to write about their offense. The only person who did anything in the final third was Emile Smith-Rowe. The youngster tried his best to make things work, playing in between the lines and threading passes into pockets of space for others to run into. Arsenal was unable to retain possession after 3 or 4 passes, as the Brentford midfield would be upon them after a poor pass or a predictable play.

I really don’t know where Arsenal go from here. I think the majority of the blame has to be on Arteta’s shoulders. I can only imagine the scenes in the locker room at halftime, when they were only 1–0 down. In those moments, you need to have a charismatic coach who can inspire the team to turn things around–even against a rookie Premier League team like Brentford. Arteta STILL couldn't motivate his side to turn things around. If he can’t do it against a Championship team, then what’s gonna happen when they face one of the top dog teams? The answer for me is to sack Arteta and replace him with a competent manager.

Wow. You don’t see these results very often in football, but these games remind you of what makes the sport so special. Three words to describe Brentford's performance tonight would be Unity, Trust, and Clinical. The Bees took control of the game from the first minute and never looked back. Each Brentford player was supported by their neighboring teammate, in case they came out of position and were exposed. This stifled most of Arsenal's attacks, the Gunners unable to find cracks.   

Opposite Arsenal's fullbacks, Brentford’s were superb all game long. On paper Brentford played with a back three, but they also had two wide midfielders who could drop into defense, turning the back 3 into a back 5. Brentford’s coach, Thomas Frank, knew that even with their numerical advantage, Arsenal was more skillful, so he made sure the fullbacks were pragmatic, not erratic. Nicolas Pepe learned this the hard way, as Rico Henry and Ethan Pinnock kept an eye on him all game long, never letting him have room on the wing. To sum it all up, Brentford’s wingbacks knew when to drop back and defend, and when to push up to support the midfield. 

The Bees were cynical in the final third. You could sense they had that mental edge against Arsenal's defense, especially with the support of their fans. Brentford’s first goal was immaculate. A poor Arsenal clearance fell to the feet of Sergi Canós, and after turning Calum Chambers inside-out, he rifled his shot low and into the corner. Again, people will criticize Leno for not covering his near post, but you have to remember that he also has to cover the far post, and also be ready to punch the ball out of the box if it’s a cross. Again, it wasn’t the goalkeeper’s fault. The Bees’ second goal was scrappy, but they didn’t care. A long throw-in wasn’t headed away by an Arsenal defender, and the ball bounced into the 6-yard box. Christian Nørgaard rose highest, heading into an empty net. Brentford pushed many players into the box, so Nørgaard easily broke free from his marker to strike the telling blow. 

I know it's only been one game, but I feel like there’s something special in this Brentford side. The way they worked together—Mbeumo causing havoc on the right wing, the fullbacks making the best use of themselves whether it be in midfield or defense, the three central midfielders who put in a great shift, and even the goalie who made some 

stunning saves—most notably in the 87th minute, when Pepe latched on to Smith-Rowe’s cross to half volley it, but Raya Martin was there to palm it around the post. Yes, this is an Arsenal team in crisis (I literally wrote a blog about it—that’s how you know it's bad), but they’re still a top 6 side. If the Bees can continue with performances like this one, survival won’t be an issue for them, that’s for sure. 

Brentford have produced the upset to end all upsets, absolutely running riot against the Gunners! The victory was thoroughly deserved, and hopefully they can continue like this. For Arsenal, It's gotta be one of the more depressing nights in their recent history. Last season they finished 8th but, with results like this, who knows how far they could drop. Arteta’s at the wheel—but for how long?