Well, I’ll just say what I know. I’m not supporting Arsenal, but from the little I know about them, Arsenal play attacking football. And attacking football doesn’t start only from the forwards, it starts from the back.
If those key defenders who understand the system are out injured, tell me how the flow of the game will be effective? Those defenders are the ones who move the ball quickly, break lines with passes, and help the midfield and attack stay connected. When they are missing, everything becomes slow and predictable.
So even if the attackers are fit, they will struggle. The service won’t be clean, the buildup will be poor, and supporting the striker becomes very difficult. Football is a team game. When the foundation at the back is weak or changed, the attacking players will always suffer, no matter how good they are.