Ludogorets give Arsenal timely reminder of November curse which could see Premier League title push unravel

Magic touch: Mesut Ozil chips keeper Milan Morjan before slotting home the winner
AP
James Olley2 November 2016

November is habitually a month in which Arsenal have struggled and here was a timely reminder of what could happen if they shed the mixture of “vigilance and confidence” manager Arsene Wenger demanded before kick-off.

Ludogorets Razgrad proved their 6-0 thrashing in the reverse fixture a fortnight ago was not a fair reflection of their talents after turning in a much more resolute display here but the Gunners were given an almighty fright, thanks to the kind of start Wenger had hoped was consigned to history.

It appeared at one stage that this contest was heading into the same infamous category as last season’s embarrassing defeat at Dinamo Zagreb, as Arsenal fell 2-0 down inside 15 minutes courtesy of a defence that capitulated under modest scrutiny.

The players deserve credit for gradually turning up the heat as the local temperature here in Sofia dropped to near freezing point but the situation in which they contrived to put themselves hinted at a familiar vulnerability that could undermine them once again in the months ahead.

Ludogorets winger Wanderson’s 12th-minute free-kick was whipped in with precision and pace but Arsenal’s inability to defend a simple set-piece, allowing Jonathan Cafu to score, will infuriate Wenger.

The Arsenal manager would have been fuming again three minutes later over the slack marking which allowed Cafu to lay on a second for Claudiu Keseru, a man so desperate to impress in this tie he insisted on answering questions at the pre-match press conference in English, much to the apparent bemusement of Ludogorets coach Georgi Dermendzhiev.

These bouts of carelessness could prove costly against better sides and at the beginning of a month in which Arsenal face Tottenham, Manchester United and Paris St Germain, they can ill afford a repeat.

Wenger will always feel his team have a chance, however, given the purpose with which they attack teams these days.

Ludogorets vs Arsenal: In Pictures

1/24

Olivier Giroud scored Arsenal’s equaliser on the stroke of half-time to build on Granit Xhaka’s 20th-minute reply, yet it felt as though the team’s potency was diluted in the reshuffle to include the Frenchman for his first start of the season. Giroud performed adequately enough but the decision to move Alexis Sanchez to the left flank felt like one which served the benefit of accommodating the Frenchman, rather than enhancing the team’s effectiveness in the final third.

Sanchez will surely revert to a centre-forward role against Tottenham, while Santi Cazorla’s return to midfield — assuming he can recover from an Achilles problem — will inject greater dynamism into Arsenal’s passing from deep.

Yet they still had enough cohesion to edge a hard-fought contest, thanks to Ozil’s sublimely executed winner after 87 minutes. The German typified his ability to play the game at a different pace to almost everyone else, casually waiting for the right moment with keeper and defenders floundering to roll the ball home.

“Our destiny lies in the mind of the players,” said Wenger before the game. The topsy-turvy display that followed suggested just that.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in