{"id":2479,"date":"2026-04-05T12:19:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=2479"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:19:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:19:41","slug":"forget-dowman-arsenal-have-another-huge-positive-to-take-from-southampton-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=2479","title":{"rendered":"Forget Dowman, Arsenal have another huge positive to take from Southampton disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>At a Glance:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton on Saturday night.<\/li>\n<li>Max Dowman\u2019s performance was one of the only positives for Mikel Arteta to take from the game.<\/li>\n<li>That said, there was one more positive for the Spaniard, which is arguably more important than Dowman\u2019s encouraging display.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p><strong>Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage on Saturday night, with Mikel Arteta\u2019s team defeated by a spirited Southampton side at St. Mary\u2019s.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Saints deservedly claimed a 2-1 victory on the south coast, ending the Gunners\u2019 hopes of winning the treble. Goals from Ross Stewart and Shea Charles cancelled out Viktor Gyokeres\u2019 17th strike of the season, condemning Arteta\u2019s outfit to a second straight defeat.<\/p>\n<p>While the night was overwhelmingly negative for Arsenal, the performance of Max Dowman was certainly a shining light. That said, there was arguably a greater positive for Arteta to take back to North London, which will have more of a tangible impact on the rest of their season.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p>\n          <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Saints END Arsenal&#039;s Treble Dream \ud83e\udee8 | Southampton 2-1 Arsenal | FA Cup Quarter-Final Highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nfFabWaiyNo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n        <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Max Dowman was excellent for Arsenal against Southampton<\/h2>\n<p>While several senior Arsenal players flattered to deceive on the south coast \u2013 none more so than Gabriel Jesus \u2013 Dowman did not. The 16-year-old started on the right wing for the Gunners and impressed on this flank before offering even more in a central role towards the end of the game.<\/p>\n<p>In the first half, the Arsenal attack was run by the Hale End graduate. He was consistently fed the ball and looked to make things happen with his quick feet and mazy dribbling ability. <\/p>\n<p>His dynamic ball-carrying prompted Saints left-back Ryan Manning to cynically halt him, forcing referee Sam Barrott to show the Irishman a yellow card. Dowman then turned his directness up a notch, sensing he could provoke a second-yellow card challenge, before he was eventually moved inwards when Martin Odegaard came off.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\">Max Dowman vs Southampton Statistics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Minutes Played<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Shots<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Expected Goals<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">0.33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Accurate Passes<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">30\/37 (81%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Touches in Opposition Box<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Touches<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">67<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Key Passes<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Successful Dribbles<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">3\/3 (100%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><strong>All Statistics via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fotmob.com\/en-GB\/matches\/southampton-vs-arsenal\/2rlsz3#5231045\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FotMob<\/a> \u2013 correct as of 04\/04\/2025<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While he was threatening on the right, his best work came in the middle, when his influence on the game was more keenly felt. After an initial lull period in the second half, where Arsenal failed to progress the ball into their forward players, Dowman came alive in the final 25 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>The Gunners\u2019 most prolific route to the Southampton penalty box was feeding their teenage prodigy in the middle of the pitch, so that he could turn his man and drive forward. While the execution with the final ball wasn\u2019t always there, the intent was.<\/p>\n<p>Dowman remarkably finished the game having completed three dribbles, taken seven shots and amassed 17 touches in the Saints\u2019 box. Arteta needs to use him more frequently moving forward.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Martin Odegaard\u2019s return is biggest positive for Arsenal on miserable night<\/h2>\n<p>Arsenal have struggled to control possession and territory in recent months, too often surrendering the ball and not penning the opposition back. The diagnosis for this problem is Martin Odegaard\u2019s absence, and this was made clear on the south coast.<\/p>\n<p>In the first half, aside from a weak five-minute period around Southampton\u2019s opening goal, the Gunners suffocated the home team and probed with long sequences of possession around their box. They could easily have taken the lead in this period, and this would\u2019ve led to a very different game.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\">Martin Odegaard vs Southampton Statistics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Minutes Played<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">61<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Shots<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Expected Goals<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">0.26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Accurate Passes<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">46\/52 (88%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Passes into Final Third<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Touches<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">59<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Key Passes<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Successful Dribbles<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">2\/2 (100%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><strong>All Statistics via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fotmob.com\/en-GB\/matches\/southampton-vs-arsenal\/2rlsz3#5231045\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FotMob<\/a> \u2013 correct as of 04\/04\/2025<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Odegaard was at the heart of this. The Norwegian technician showcased his quality on the ball by retaining it in forward areas, whilst also helping the Gunners get into the box with intricate combinations. <\/p>\n<p>Arsenal simply cannot do this when they don\u2019t have their captain, and while they weren\u2019t able to maintain this at St. Mary\u2019s as a rusty Odegaard faded, there is now hope that they will be able to moving forward.<\/p>\n<p>As long as the 27-year-old is fit and firing, Arsenal\u2019s attack is always going to look threatening. His return at St. Mary\u2019s was a subdued, but vital, positive on a drab night for the North Londoners. Arteta should be delighted that he has his technical leader back and available.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At a Glance: Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton on Saturday night. Max Dowman\u2019s performance was one of the only positives for Mikel Arteta to take from the game. That said, there was one more positive for the Spaniard, which is arguably more important than Dowman\u2019s encouraging display. Arsenal crashed out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}