Arsenal would have hoped to start back in the Women’s Super League after the international break with a win but were left with an unconvincing draw at full time to newly promoted Birmingham City which left fans in disarray and disbelief upon the full-time whistle.

Arsenal started with the intention to attack, much like they had done in previous games but their lack of shooting would end up being fatal. The Gunners would rather pass the ball around the box or take an untimely cross than shoot from outside the box or take a first time hit when it gets to them in the box.

The Gunners are under fire for their final third decision making by fans – who made their feelings known both on social media and in the stadium at Arsenal’s lack of goals this season. They are especially under fire since the Gunners had gone away on international break and scored a collective 13 goals between them white they have scored only five goals in the Women’s Super League this season.

Arsenal’s first ‘real’ chance came from a long ball into the box from Leah Williamson, which glided over the heads of Birmingham City players and found Alessia Russo in the penalty area but the English striker could not convert the chance as her header bounced off the post and was then cleared from the net to safety by the Blues.

Birmingham scored in their only real chance of the game with league’s top scorer Océane Hurtré ran through the open Arsenal defence and easily slotting the ball into the corner past Misa Rodriguez which secured the Blues the lead in the game.

Arsenal young player Olivia Smith, who had been coming off the bench for the Gunners in past games, secured the equaliser for the North London side with a hit from outside the box that went over the fingertips of Sophie Baggaley in the Birmingham City net and into the top corner.

Momentum shifted back to Arsenal in the game but like the rest of their season, they did not have enough willpower to earn the win in their favour and had to settle for a 1-1 draw to the midland’s team. Criticism reigns upon the Arsenal team, players and coaching staff alike, and frustration bubbles over but nothing has changed all season. What can we learn from the draw that makes Arsenal so vulnerable this season?

Too many touches

Arsenal take too many touches when it comes to being in the final third. It has been a problem all season for the Gunners, and it dates back pre Renée Slegers to Jonas Eidevall but under Slegers it had changed into fluid football.

So why has it reverted back to the Eidevall era of ‘pass the ball around the box and hope for an easy goal?’

Playing low blocks is inherently an issue for the North London team and has been for years. Against the bigger teams of Chelsea, Manchester City, and in Europe, Arsenal will do much better. Lose? Maybe, but they seem to thrive and play better football when they’re not up against five or six players at the back in a low block to keep them out.

The answer to a low block would be to stop attempting to pass the ball, or cross the ball, into the box. It is not going to get anywhere. There will not be any goals scored and it just makes it easier for the opposition to defend – case in point against Birmingham, whose defenders all had 11+ clearances against Arsenal and was the first time in the Women’s Super League history that a team had four players make more than ten in a game.

Arsenal play ball to feet football, which works occasionally but the insistence on taking way too many touches is stagnating them as a club and making everyone wonder what exactly Arsenal do in training to a) beat a low block defence and b) in shooting practice.

Dribbling into the box is fine if there is not a hoard of the opposition in there and it is easy to make the shot. Taking too many touches just takes away the urgency to score.

Concede First, Score Later

Arsenal’s mentality this season has been seen time and time again that they concede first before realising they need to score.

It does not matter how attacking Arsenal start the game – they do not actually seem to possess the threat to score a goal first.

The Gunners have scored two first half goals this season: Lisa Baum versus Brighton and Hove Albion and again versus Manchester City.

The rest of their goals have come in the second half – Russo mere moments after the second half began against the current league champions and Smilla Holmberg rescuing a point in the 90+5th minute versus Manchester United with the back post goal.

Arsenal only seem to ‘wake up’ in games after they concede. Manchester United scoring first led to Arsenal’s urgency locking into place and their attempt to salvage the game came at the hands of their Swedish 19-year old right back.

It repeated in the Chelsea game though the Gunners did not get an equaliser against their fierce rivals, and was shown again after they conceded a very preventable goal by Hurtré that they remembered they could not just let teams run over them like that and Olivia Smith gave them salvation in the form of a top bins goal and a rescued point.

Why do Arsenal need to concede first before they remember the aim of the game is to score and get three points? Why do they need ‘waking up’ and a sense of urgency in the dying moments of a game to rectify games?

Answers are not given and the more that Arsenal continue to play the way that they do, the more the support for the team will drop on the players, coaching staff and the board.

Left Hand Side

Arsenal’s left hand side is a weakness. And it is a weakness that was exploited by Birmingham City and ultimately helped them get a goal.

Amy Merrick pointed out in her post match press conference that they had specifically prepared to target Arsenal’s left hand side to weaken them and started Hurtré on the right which worked in their favour as the French player scored.

But the problem for Arsenal is why did they not recruit for the left hand side over the summer? They did a big overhaul signing huge names in Georgia Stanway, Géraldine Reuteler, Misa Rodriguez, why did they not think to buy a natural left back?

Currently Ona Batlle plays as left back. Battle is a natural right back and while she played on the left at Barcelona – the two leagues are not comparable. The Women’s Super League is far more competitive and dominant than the Spanish Liga F, and Batlle wants to cut inside on the left which leaves the left side of defence open.

Why is Batlle starting when she is a natural right sided player when Taylor Hinds, a natural left back, is on the bench? It makes fans want to question Slegers decision making and ability to put out a strong team.

The left back is also not an issue in the squad, it is also the left side of central defence. The Gunners only have one left footed centre-back in Steph Catley, so why did they not recruit in that position in the summer either?

In the last few games Williamson has been paired with Lotte Wubben-Moy, and the two have communication issues with each other and have proven to be an unreliable defensive duo at the back – but it also does not help that neither of them are a left-sided centre-back. Both English players are right footed.

If Arsenal are not careful their next games could see the opposition realise that Arsenal’s left flank is a problem and will target it in games.

Set Pieces

Arsenal had a multitude of corners in the game against Birmingham City and nothing came of any of them which is a cause for concern. Most teams are at least able to score one goal from a corner, or any set piece, but for the Gunners that is a big ask.

Arsenal hired a new set piece coach over the summer to replace their old one and hope that they will be able to score from any set pieces they have been given in the new season but it has been shambles for Nikita Runnacles in the role.

The Gunners have great set piece takers in the team – from Kim Little, Mariona Caldentey and Chloe Kelly on penalty kicks to Holmberg, Stanway and Kyra Cooney-Cross on corners. It is a tragedy that Arsenal have yet to score from one in the Women’s Super League despite the fact they get set pieces quite often.

If Arsenal are unable to score from open play and also cannot from set pieces, where does that leave the Gunners? With more big games coming up in the Women's Super League and the UEFA Women's Champions League -- Arsenal have to figure out have to score and win games quickly.