Arsenal's slow starts: a pattern Arteta can't afford to ignore

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Arsenal have developed a habit that's starting to look less like a coincidence and more like a pattern. Excluding the Carabao Cup third round win over Ipswich Town, Mikel Arteta's side have failed to score in the first half in each of their last five matches across all competitions, a run that stretches into this weekend's trip to Nottingham Forest.

The exception to the rule came against Chelsea at the Emirates in September, when Arsenal fell behind inside the opening couple of minutes and were forced to respond quickly. Since then, the Gunners have found a way to win four of their next five games, beating Napoli and Lille in the Champions League and Sunderland and Leeds in the Premier League, but the slow starts have continued.

Brighton were the side to properly punish that tendency. The Seagulls ran riot at the Amex Stadium just before the international break, exposing a weakness that had otherwise been papered over by late rallies and second half improvement.

A second half switch

What's notable is how Arsenal have responded after the break in recent weeks. In each of the last two matches, the Gunners have scored shortly after half time, often just before Arteta turns to his bench for fresh legs. One particular substitute introduced early in the second half has scored in each of the last two games, a sign that Arteta's changes and team talks are having the desired effect once his side are already behind the eight ball.

It speaks to the depth of Arteta's squad that he can make those kinds of impactful changes so regularly, but it also raises the question of why that same energy and sharpness isn't there from kick off. As football.london's Jake Stokes notes, the pattern has so far cost Arsenal little in terms of results, but it's one that could prove costly against stronger opposition if left unaddressed.

Forest awaits, with Bayern and silverware on the horizon

Arsenal were held to a goalless draw by Forest at the City Ground last season, a reminder that slow starts away from home can be punished just as easily by a draw as by a defeat. With trips to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup fourth round also on the horizon, the margin for a sluggish opening is only going to shrink against higher calibre opponents.

Arteta has shown he knows how to rally his side at the interval. The challenge now is translating that same urgency into the way Arsenal start matches, rather than waiting for things to go wrong first.