Arsenal Suffer 3-1 Loss to Leicester City in Arsene Wenger's Penultimate Game
Arsenal lost away from home again in the Premier League after being beaten 3-1 by Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday in the penultimate game with Arsene Wenger in charge.
Wenger saw his Gunners go a goal behind and down to 10 men on just 15 minutes when Konstantinos Mavropanos was shown a straight red card shortly after Kelechi Iheanacho had put the Foxes in front.
A Jamie Vardy penalty and a 90th-minute Riyad Mahrez goal completed Arsenal's seventh straight Premier League away defeat.
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Away Day Shame Almost Complete for Wenger's Arsenal
Arsenal are going to finish in their lowest league position and with the fewest points under Wenger because of their dismal record away from home. The Gunners are still the only team in the top four leagues of English football who have failed to pick up a point on their travels in 2018.
James Benge of the London Evening Standard itemised the away days blues:
The number has now gone to 190, with Squawka Football charting the depressing run:
It's almost inconceivable a team with this much attacking talent would be so bereft of solutions on their travels. By contrast, Arsenal's defensive woes away from the comfortable confines of the Emirates Stadium are no longer even mildly surprising.
Unfortunately for Wenger, his last game in charge of the Gunners will also be away. The trip to Huddersfield Town could be bring yet more away misery for the Frenchman and his team.
Arsenal's Disciplinary Record Ending How It Started Under Wenger
For a manager who has steadfastly championed fair play and attractive, expansive football, Wenger has overseen a shocking disciplinary record during most of his 22 years in charge at Arsenal.
Former captain Patrick Vieira is joint holder of the Premier League record, having received eight red cards on Wenger's watch, per Alan Tyres of the Daily Telegraph. The same source pointed out that the Gunners received 32 red cards in the decade following their last title win in the unbeaten season of 2003-04.
Many would contend Wenger has struggled in recent years because the snarling aggression common in his early teams went by the wayside when players such as Vieira left town.
Yet on the evidence of this game, Wenger's Gunners remain as ill-disciplined as they always were.
Mavropanos walked after pulling Iheanacho to the floor. Sky Sports Statto put the infraction into context within the long list of demeanours on Wenger's watch:
Richard Jolly provided further context by pointing out it was another centre-back, one who now sits next to Wenger in the dugout, who received the first red card of the Frenchman's tenure:
Arsenal's creative players also lost their cool in Leicester when Henrikh Mkhitaryan brought down Demarai Gray to concede the penalty Vardy dispatched with 14 minutes left.
The fact that both Granit Xhaka and Rob Holding were also booked merely summed up how much the Gunners lost composure on another tough away day. Not keeping their nerve under fire is a big reason life on their travels has been so tough for Wenger's men this season.
Mavropanos Hype Needs to Cool After Tough Night
He's still only 20 and has started just three matches in England's top flight. Both of those things were obvious in Mavropanos' brief horror show at the King Power.
It means the hype that's been surrounding the Greek youngster who joined Arsenal in the January transfer window needs to cool somewhat. The centre-back had looked good in the 2-1 defeat away to Manchester United, as well as the 5-0 home win over Burnley.
Despite Mavropanos being beaten in the air by Marouane Fellaini for United's late winner, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright told BBC Match of the Day 2 (h/t Owen Fulda of the Daily Star):
"I haven't seen a performance like this, the anticipation, the pace, the awareness, from Arsenal for a long time. For a 20-year-old to come in and be as cool and as calm as he was is so impressive."
However, Mavropanos was far from impressive against the Foxes. The red card offence was borne from a litany of mistakes common in young players.
Mavropanos took a heavy touch before giving the ball away with a sloppy pass straight to Iheanacho. Instead of keeping his composure and trying to redress his errors, Mavropanos panicked and brought Iheanacho down, leaving the referee with little choice.
Layth Yousif of the Islington Gazette believes mistakes have been inevitable for a player who may have been exposed to too much too soon:
This forgettable performance isn't an indictment of Mavropanos' ability or potential. Instead, it is a reminder to slow the hype for a player still largely unproven at this level.
Mahrez Again Showed Why Big Clubs Should Come Calling
Mahrez is a mercurial talent who could play for any big club when at his best. Fortunately for Leicester, Mahrez was at his best against the Gunners.
His quick feet, quicker brain and natural flair had Arsenal's defenders in a panic all night. All that was missing was a goal, something the Algeria international delightfully provided in the final minute.
The dummy to sit down Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech was typical of the magic an in-form Mahrez can conjure.
His ability will surely have suitors lining up again, with Rob Tanner of the Leicester Mercury anticipating the No. 10 will leave:
Mahrez recently withdrew a transfer request after trying to get a move to Manchester City in January. He's also said to fancy a move to Arsenal, per Jack Wilson of the Daily Express.
Any member of the Premier League's top six should be putting a bid tempting enough for Leicester to finally relent and give one of the most dynamic attackers in the division his chance on a bigger stage.
He should be playing UEFA Europa League or UEFA Champions League football next season.
What's Next?
Wenger will have one more game and one more chance to end on a high with a first away win of 2018 when Arsenal take on Huddersfield. Meanwhile, Leicester can move up to eighth if they beat Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.
