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I decided to take 24 hours to absorb this one. I figured it might just make for a more coherent, rationale dissection of yesterdays match. I’m not sure it’s made much of an difference.

Truth be told after the 30^th minute I found the game pretty pedestrian. We can debate the red card but, fundamentally, I want to be watching game where each team has elven players on the pitch. I’d been looking forward to this game for 2 weeks. I was excited to watch football that I care about. Where I care about the players, and care about the outcome. None of this stupid international crap between teams I don’t really care about and with players I consider the opposition.  But no, instead I was made to suffer 60 minutes of an unbalanced match that had a completely different trajectory because of the red card.

Was it a red card? Well Rob Jones did not think so. I didn’t either. It was a yellow. But, unfortunately, I can see why it was upgraded to a red. Not that I agree with it but I can see the argument. For me though, a red card is the ultimate sanction and should be used sparingly. My only grievance with this one is that VAR intervened in a situation where it was not a clear and obvious error. Yes, maybe it was a red card – there are plenty of people who thought it was. But the on-field referee decided it was just a yellow. So sure, you could look at it and think it could be a red card but how did this rise to the level of being a clear and obvious error?

Obviously this was the game changer. Instead of sending off Saliba the referee should have sent off Trossard. What was he thinking? This was one of those games where nothing he did came off. But, as we know, he does have a tendency to be over elaborate in our half of the pitch – often weakly giving up possession. But this pass was beyond foolhardy. Only he knows what he was thinking.

On the other side of the pitch we had Sterling instead of Saka. Look, there is no-one that can replace Saka. Sterling is, I suppose, an adequate replacement. But we saw a few occasions in the first half where he had chances to take on players in their box and put a shot in. Instead he dithered and passed off to others. Saka would have skinned them. By way of symmetry, he was replaced – as was Saka against City – after the sending off.

So lets look at this game as a match of two parts – before and after the red card. Before, we seemed somewhat slow out of the blocks. We were adjusting to Merino being on the right alongside Sterling with White at right back. In other words, a complete change to that part of our team which, most recently, has been the most creative part of the team. It took time for the team to find their balance and to control the game.

On the left Calafiori again shone brightly. He is dominant and impressive but always with the odd misstep. Rice was drifting around and Partey was actually quite impressive. But we were just about finding our gears when Trossard intervened. Saliba is a young super-star and we have to remember his lack of experience (on a relative basis). In hindsight he should realize that not brushing his arm/shoulder and getting a red is way more expensive than not breathing on the player and allowing them to proceed unimpeded. Even if Evanilson had managed to control the ball, there was still White to come back and defend. And even then he’d have to get past Raya and get the ball on target. And, even if he had managed to score, we’d have 60 minutes with a full eleven on the pitch to turn it around. As we have done many times this season.

Post red-card it was an initial onslaught. But unlike the City game where we dug in – to protect a lead – here we continued to play. After half-time and some internal adjustments, we looked more competitive. Bournemouth had no shots on target and missed one clear chance but overall we were not struggling under a constant onslaught. At this stage I could easily seeing this be a 0-0 draw. And something I could have accepted.

Unfortunately the substitutions changed the game. Not that, at the time, I complained about either. I was happy to see the end of Trossard; he still looked a little shell shocked. Martinelli immediately brought energy to the left-hand side. We were able to break more quickly. And then with a little press on their obnoxious goalie, the ball ended up with Merino who then set up Martinelli. Even with the red card, this was arguably the most important play of the game. And, even though Martinelli has rediscovered his scoring boots, he proceeded to fluff his lines. This was a horrible effort from him. It was just plain poor. It’s what you would have expected (and saw) from their forwards. He has to put this one away. If he did, the entire game would have shifted. Instead he wasted the most important chance we had.

That was the moment where everything changed. The inevitable next event was from them to score from a corner. To rub salt in the wound you could point out that Martinelli got caught between which of two players he should mark and he made the wrong choice. But this was also the consequence of having one less player on the pitch.

And then our other substitute, Kiwior, made the next mistake that lead to a penalty. And that’s game over. Two substitutes and two key mistakes. At last though we got to see another 10 minutes of Nwaneri. This boy is a joy to watch. It’s wonderful to see how fearless he is. He replaced Merino. This was a difficult game for Merino given the circumstances. But you could see flashes of what he brings to this team. He can defend and pass the ball out of tight positions. And he has the vision to create – for example, the chance for Martinelli. Merino, once he’s fully adjusted to the pace of the Premier League, will prove to be a great addition to this team.

In amongst the wreckage of this defeat there were some impressive performances.  This was one of the best games Partey has played in a long time. His distribution was nearly perfect. He did not dally on the ball in dangerous positions and helped to create chances. Alongside him Rice, who moved slightly backwards after the red card, played much more a box to box rule and drove the team forward. He looks so impressive. And then Gabriel, without his partner, took on more responsibility and marshalled the defense as best he could.

White was clearly off the pace. Twice, in the second half he was cleanly skinned. You don’t often see that. He’s been out for a while, and it showed today. Consequently, we were way more vulnerable down our right. Every time they took him on, I held my breath. Hopefully he uses this game and the next to find match fitness. Because we’ll need him. We sorely missed Timber today. Let’s hope he is back for the Liverpool match because I suspect White will have to move to center-half. You can’t move Calafiori there – not with Salah as their winger. And I don’t think you can play Kiwior.

Of course, we need Saka back as well. But, as we know, it’s a long season and we have to protect him. It should not go unnoticed that this is yet another cost of these aggravating International breaks. Not only do they consistently disrupt the rhythm of the season. They also cause harm to our best players. First we lose Odegaard (remember him) and now Saka. And I’m sure both will regain fitness just in time to be recalled to their respective squads for the next international break. It really is a ludicrous situation. Aside from the jeopardy, I want to watch the EPL each weekend. At some point they just have to move these pointless matches to the post season. But, because of the corruption at FIFA we know this won’t happen.

Talking about international breaks. We now have a Nazi managing the English team. How funny is that. After waiting for 60 years to win the WC, it could be a Kraut enabling England to win a WC after only winning it at the expense of the defunct West Germany. How nicely ironic. My hope had always been that Pep would leave City and take this role in the summer. I don’t have a profound reaction to a non-English manager. But at least take the best one. And the one that helps us (here, of course, I mean Arsenal) the most.

Back to the Champions league now. At least we will have Saliba available for that game. And let’s hope we can save Timber and Saka for the Liverpool game. I know all points are created equally, but this Liverpool match is a statement match. We can’t afford to lose this one – this was true before the Bournemouth game and is still true today. And we’ll need our strongest 11. And let’s hope it remain 11. Three red cards in 8 games is not sustainable. There is no way we will win the league with that type of record. Of course, all of these reds were borderline. Let’s hope the rules are being equally applied to all teams. No conspiracy theory here – yet. Let’s just hope that Van Dyke can get sent off today.

So, it’s not the end of the world – that might happen on Nov 5^th (and I don’t mean Guy Fawkes). We lost one game. We knew we would lose a game albeit not this one. But we have plenty of matches ahead of us. We just need to get some of players back and not let them go off to the international breaks. And we need Martinelli to consistently put chances away.

-LB7

This was Arteta’s game. His initial selection and then his substitutions. Without Southampton taking the lead I’m not sure we’d have won this game. It was only once we brought on Martinelli and Trossard that we finally we looked like our true selves.

I’d been looking forward to this game. It seemed ideal for us going into the useless international break. Southampton look like cannon fodder and we after the impressive PSG performance we were bound to slice them apart.

Yet when I saw that team sheet I recoiled. I hate the idea of Partey being right back. I would have switched Calafiori to the right and started Kiwior on the left. But that’s why I’m not the manager. From the onset we totally dominated. Saka was positively sizzling. They had to move over more players to cover him. On the other wing Sterling settled in quite nicely.

That left Jesus in the middle. And that’s where our issues began and ended. He was so ill-suited to this role. He barely held his position and was never in the right place at the right time. And nearly every decision he made was the wrong one. He’d pass when he should shot and shot when he should pass. He can’t score goals and can’t link up. Sure, we know he works very hard but, by now, all our players do that.

So many times in the first half Saka would create opportunities and he was never in the right position. With Partey at right back I thought that would be our weakness. Instead it was Jesus. Throughout that first half we controlled the game but actually created only a few half chances.

I suppose I understand Partey at right back. Missing the wonderful Timber and White still being in the stands. And I suppose Arteta had to give minutes to his peripheral players such as Jesus. In the last two years it’s the lack of rotation that has ultimately cost us. But today showed that Jesus is not really a viable alternative. He over complicates every situation. Refusing to play the simplest, cleanest pass. In the first half, during a rare moment of pressure from Southampton, the ball broke to him by the half-way line. As he turned, Saka made a run from deep on the right-hand side and was wide-open by the halfway line. But, No Jesus had to take an extra touch and slow the game down. Another missed opportunity. Anyway, he’ll surely pick up his regular knee injury soon.

Now I’ve exorcised my Jesus demon I can turn to every other part of this game. There was so much to enjoy. We know that Saka has, a long time ago, established himself as the first name on the team sheet. But surely Have-that must be the second. Today these two were shinning lights on the pitch. This was one of Sakas most dominate performances of the season. He created two goals and scored our third. He terrorized their left side of the pitch. And Have-that, operating in the Odegaard position, was involved continuously. He has developed into a confident player who drives us forward. And he scored the most important goal. That first goal was just so well taken. And it changed the entire game.

Somehow before that Southampton managed to take the lead. Maybe Saliba should have been closer to Archer but it was a well taken goal. But clearly they did not deserve to win this game. Instead it woke up Arteta. And immediately the introduction of Trossard, Martinelli and Merino rejuvenated Arsenal. The worst thing Southampton did was score. Until then there was a chance they could sneak a goal. Once these changes were made we rediscovered our fluency in the last third.

Though Sterling was half way decent Martinelli added that extra pace and energy. And Trossard and Marintelli enabled Have-that to move further forward. Oh, my last Jesus comment. Right from the start of the second half when Sterling won the ball back in their half and charged forward. It was Jesus that took the ball off his feet. And then proceed to shoot meekly at Aaron in goal. OK, no more Jesus (for the moment).

What a transformation to the team though. The energy flowed and Saka finally had people alongside him of a similar caliber. Those last 30 minutes where what I’d been waiting for post PSG. As soon as they arrived it just seemed inevitable that we’d turn the match around.

I don’t understand Southampton. They are just so naïve. Why do they play the way they do? From the first minute they insisted of playing out from the back. Arsenal are one of the best pressing teams. And they just don’t have the talent or skill to pull this off. Countless times they would lose the ball under pressure in dangerous positions. Yet they just continued to do the same thing. I’m sure we’ll heard the usual crap about how this is their style, their identity. But this will, as night follows day, result in them being relegated.

This is what Burnley did with Kompany last year. Until the last 3 months when they reverted to a sensible team. Southampton can’t survive playing like this. And certainly not against us. Without the skilled players to execute this approach they can’t possibly succeed. If we had started with the players that finished the game (you know what I mean – no Jesus) we’d have won this game before half-time.

It was nice to see Aaron back in goal. But now I’ve emotionally recovered from his departure, you really could see the difference between him and Raya. Sure he had a kamakazi defense in front of him but his passing is just not the same. Nor his control of the game at the same level. He just lacks that calmness. I can see it now. It just took me a year or two to accept.

Another benefit of the initial substitutions was that Rice dropped into a more defense role. It suits him so much better. He would be my fourth name on the team sheet, after Saliba. But I like the look of a Rice and Merino partnership. And behind them we saw yet another impressive performance from Calafiori. He really looks a special player. Sure, he got beaten twice by Dibble (what a classic English name that is) but his forward play and roaming around the field is to additive to this team. And then there’s his physical presence and skill level. We are so lucky to have added him to this team. He is going to a genuine star.

And we had the surprise of seeing Tommy come on towards the end to replace Partey. Again, I can’t believe that, not once, did Southampton try and use their pace to run against Partey. Partey really played quite well but they never once tried to take him on in our defensive area. We also saw what the lack of Timber and White meant. There was not a single overlap for Saka today which makes Saka’s performance even more impressive. All his passing was with Have-that. Partey can’t overlap. He can’t speed forward or backwards. He’s really like one of my older cars that basically had two speeds and limited milage capability. But to be fair it wasn’t him that chose to play right-back; that was on Arteta.

The team that ended this match looked like the real Arsenal. With both full-backs in place and a midfield that controlled the game we finally had players up front who could take advantage of the opportunities that were created. Did I mentioned how good Saka was today. He was unplayable – and clearly enjoyed himself. Everything good ran through him. Well, until Martinelli fired up the left hand side. Another goal for him. Hopefully his rediscovering his past form that we’ve missed this year.

So we enter into another international break in a great position with a great team in place. This team is better than last year. The addition of Calafiori and Merino and the return of Timber might be the final pieces. We now have an established spine of Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Have-that and Saka. And we can add Calafiori and Timber to that. That’s 75% of the team accounted for.

And that’s all without Odegaard. Going into this run of games who’d have thought we survive his absence with this run of results. Certainly not me. Arteta rejigged our tactics and approach to compensate for his injury and we’ve still thrived. I’m sure we still won’t see Odegaard for another month or so.

So, let’s hope during this international break, that no-one – in particular Saka – pick up any more injuries. I don’t see why England need to play him for 90 minutes in both games. They already know he’s irreplicable and one of the first names on their team-sheet. So protect him, please. It’s just a shame Brazil don’t pick and play Jesus.

Now we have to find distractions for the next two weeks before we can resume our battle for supremacy in this league. But so far, we’re looking very impressive. We’ve matured, developed a backbone and improved this team. Arteta – aside from his initial selections today – has continued to develop as a manager. I’ve mentioned this before. But he’s noticeably more calm on the sidelines. He has more faith and belief in his own team. He is, like us, a supporter. And he sees what we see. A team that can genuinely compete. That’s not too shabby.

-LB7

Well, that was more tense and nerve wracking then I’d imagined. Especially after the first half. It looked like we’d squandered the three points. Instead we had another Bournemouth moment.

This team really does have that mental fortitude and resilience we’ve lacked in the past. Of course, we fully deserved to win. We dominated Leicester throughout. They really offered very little. I know they scored two goal but those were their only two attacks. The first one was very fortunate and the latter a singular moment of brilliance that they’ll never repeat again.

This was the type of game where I feared we’d miss Overgaard’s ability to unpick the lock on their defense. But the truth is we barely missed him. And part of that is that Leicester were so shit but part of it was because Rice was so dominant on the left (and everyone else) such that we actually created down our lefthand side. And on the right, with Timber still at right back, the overlapping and cohesion on our right was much smoother than I’d expected.

Without wishing to digress to far, after the utter shit we’d been hearing from supposed pundits – by the way, what does this word actually mean? – from the “dark arts” to Arsenal not being creative enough, too dour and unattractive to watch, today was just an onslaught. Sure, they moaned about our first goal but there was nothing there apart from Vardy being an old moaning prat. Along with his ugly manager. Of course it originated down our right with Timber setting up Martinelli. If ever anyone needed a goal it was Martinelli. Let’s hope that unleashes him. Though I have my doubts. His conversion rate is not where it was a year or so ago. But he was much better today. And he set up that second goal just before half time for Trossard.

I’d figured the second half would be an enjoyable breeze. It turns out so did our team. From the onset of the second half I felt like we thought the game was won. Our intensity dropped and we were careless with our opportunities. So many chances were wasted or thwarted by their goalie. And then, somehow, before you knew it, they we were tied up 2-2. I still don’t understand quite how this happened. But then we reengaged and just dominated but continue to find ways to not score. Whether it was from corners or numerous shots from Trossard, Saka and others. BTW, this was again a stellar performance from Saka. He had the beating of anyone on that side of the pitch. And when he wandered infield he would dance past everyone – except for when Skipp chopped him down (and somehow avoided both a freekick and his second yellow card).

It seemed only fair that the winning goal would come from a corner. We had so many today and none were as threatening as last week. But for a prior one Trossard had signaled to Saka to wait for him to get in position beyond the back post. And then he took up the same position in the 93^rd minute to deservedly score the winning goal. I’m hopeful on Monday that they will award that goal to him. While it was deflected it was on target. Trossard has to be one of our most valuable signings. From being a 12^th man acquired at the last minute of a winter transfer window he’s now an essential natural goalscorer for us. Unlike Jesus. Of course, Trossard remains just a little scary when he has the ball outside our own box or is holding the ball in midfield. In both spots he is liable to lose or give the ball away. But then so is our friend Partey. It was another depressingly average performance from Partey today. Too often he’d give the ball away in important positions or just be too slow to track back. That second goal came because he could neither track Ndidi nor close him down to prevent the cross.

As soon as he was removed and replaced with Nwaneri, our dynamic changed. This kid is exceptional. From barely seeing any playing time last year he is now one of the first off the bench. His arrival also allowed Rice to drop deeper and provide us with reliable protection. This was one of Rices’ better performances this season; he dominated midfield and roamed all over the pitch. But back to Nwaneri, he immediately provided a spark, running past players, shooting and linking up with Saka. His additional energy stimulated both the team and the crowd. We looked so much more threatening with him on the pitch. And we looked a more balanced team. I get that he’s too young to currently have him be in the starting line-up but before the season is finished, he will be starting matches for us; hopefully in place of Partey.

It was nice to see Have-that sneak in that final fourth goal. It might have flattered the score line but he deserved it. He works so hard for the team and so intelligent in his play. He and Trossard would interchange positions. No-one talks about the false-9 with Arsenal but that’s how we’ve been since Odegaard was injured. It was just annoying that as Jesus was breaking through he refused to pass to ether Have-that or Sterling and shot instead. But that’s why Jesus does not start now.

I feel sorry for Ben White; he was not on the bench today. Hopefully that was to allow him more recovery time. We’ll need him this season for sure. Timber can’t play the number of intense games that we have coming up this season. But, my, how impressive was he again today. This boy is so talented. Reliable in defense, supportive to Saka in attack and creative in midfield. And on the other side Calafiori was dominant again. And he helped strengthen and support Martinelli. With him there we look more threatening and brings more balance to the team. These two seemed to have invigorated this team. And of course, between then we have the rocks of Arsenal – Saliba and Gabriel. Neither could be blamed for either goal today.

I don’t understand how Saliba picked up a yellow card today. Just for breathing on Vardy; who’s was utterly anonymous today. Honestly, I despair at the quality of referees. This one – Samuel Barrott – was handing them out like confetti. It seems like they directly equate any foul with a yellow card now. Why is it that we have the best league in the world with the worst referees (that’s for you BFR as I stole that observation from you while you were eating your way through the game). We have players from all over the world in the premier league but insist that our refs should be largely English. Sure we have one Aussie. But why aren’t we bringing in refs from everywhere? And why don’t we pay them like professionals? That, of course, we have to lay at the feet of the PGMO; that incompetent entity that overseas (no pun intended) this mess of refs. The entity that decided that the most important aspect of the game to change is to issue automatic yellow cards if you even breath on a ball after a free-kick and thus warrant a yellow card. Talking about a solution in search of a problem. If you asked any fan what they’d like to see change, delaying restarts would never make the list. Fix VAR, introduce automated off-sides, stop giving penalties for unintentional handballs etc. But delaying free-kicks? Spare me.

It’s strange to think that, this early in the season, todays result was that important. But after the valiant draw at City and them seeing them drop two more points today, it was vital we recovered those three points today. Especially after we switched off at the start of the second half. Maybe Arteta administered valium at half-time. More than anything though, this result allowed us to retain our momentum. With Liverpool being the beneficiary of dubious penalty decisions and Cheski finding ways to win, the top 4 is going to be mighty tight. That’s not to say we can’t compete for the top spot. With Rodri sidelined, our chances have improved. But we have to be consistent. And so, far, aside from referee interruptions, we have been.

We now revert back to the Champions League. They should be some rotation. I’d like to see Ethan start but I’m sure he won’t. This match will be a little more cagey. I mean, PSG can’t be as inept as Leicester. And then it’s Southampton before another stupid international break. Maybe we can get Odeegard fit enough just in time for him to play for Norway again.

-LB7

What a remarkable performance. Fighting the injustice of yet more abject referring this was a performance for the ages. The backbone and fight were so impressive. You have to love this team. The spirit and the fight. It does not get much better. Well, side from that last goal that is.

Chris Kavanaugh is one thing but Michael Oliver? I’ve always thought he was one of the best referees in the league. But this was one of the poorest referee’d games I’ve seen in a long time. This was more like Mike Dean. Right from the start Oliver got everything wrong.

Have-that and Rodri bumped into each other within two seconds and we had our first flash point. You could see Rodi stepping towards Have-that. I hate this rolling on the ground and playing dead. But Rodi would get his comeuppance later on. Oliver thereafter set the bar such that tough tackles and fouls were not given a yellow card. However Trossard picks up a yellow for a slight tug on the shirt – borderline but not too surprising.

We also saw Doku (I think) kick the ball away after a foul was awarded to us. No yellow. Then, the moment that defined the game and changed its’ entire complexion. Trossard charging out from their bundles over Bernardo and then kicks away the ball just as Oliver blows his whistle for a foul. And here we are again with the Van Persie moment against Barcelona all those years ago. Somehow Oliver deems this to be time wasting and sends him off. What is Trossard supposed to do here? His action to kick the ball is simultaneous to Oliver blowing the whistle – that’s assuming Trossard heard it. Either way it’s a ridiculous decision.  

Why have referees – and by extension – the PGMOL decided these events now warrant a yellow card – especially when they are borderline and especially when they apply this rule so inconsistently (see Doku). There were other instances in the game where players blocked free kicks and yet no yellow card was awarded. And at the same time, real physical, tough challenges/fouls were not given yellows. I actually like the leeway on the physical nature of this game but it makes not sense to then have players sent off for these borderline technical issues that are so debatable and impactful. It’s was horrific referring by one of the best refs we have. It completely changed the nature of a game that Arsenal progressively looked comfortable in.

As a rule I don’t believe in conspiracy theories, but how do you explain the speed with which Oliver went for that second yellow. At least Kavanugh had the decency to apologize and play-act how he did not want to do this but considered that he had no choice. Oliver just went for it. And wrecked a fascinating game. It’s shockingly appalling. It destroys the game. A few years ago we barely saw this type of event and now we’ve seen two red cards for the same borderline, technical issue. How is this consistent and fair refing? And you know, in a few years, we won’t see any of these occurrences as the PGMOL decide to reset this bar. What a joke.

It was surprising to see two changes to the starting eleven. And to the backline as well. The one part of our team that has been so consistent and stable. The one area where we could rely on. The one area you never change unless you have to. Yet Arteta switched Timber and brought in Calafiori. So White, who, to be fair, had been below his best this season was dropped to the bench.

And what a up and down game Calafiori experienced. His aggression open up our defense when he overcommitted to tackling Savinho inside their half. This exposed our center backs and Savinho played the perfect ball through to the ugly Norwegian. At that point I feared the worst. Savinho looked very impressive and he was linking up so well with Silva. City started with more energy and purpose and we looked vulnerable.

Yet somehow we found our way back. Parteys quick free kick to Martinelli opened up space for an astonishing shot from Calafiori, atoning for his prior mistake. Ederson had no chance and we were level. To be honest though if I was a City fan I would have been livid with this. Not because, possibly, Partey took the free kick from a more advanced spot. No, it was that Oliver had summoned the two captains to him to try and calm the game down. The game that he had inflamed by his inconsistent decision making. And yet, he did not then allow Walker to get back in position thus allowing Partey to exploit the space with his free-kick. That is just insane. You summon the captain to you and then don’t give him time to get back in position? As great as a shot as that was by Calafiori, you can’t have refs doing that.

From that point on, with the scores level, we started to impose ourselves on the game. Of course, we were helped when Karma struck Rodri resulting in him being substituted. He really is more important to this team that KDM or Foden. There was one corner where Gabriel came close with City looking disorganized. I mean they had Doku marking Gabriel. So, for the next corner they swapped Walker to mark him. And even without White to block their goalie, Saka’s perfect cross enabled Gabriel to power in our second goal.

As an aside, as important as these goals are for us we really should be creating opportunities in open play and having our forwards score. But hopefully that will come as the season progresses.

Going into the end of that first half the game had entirely turned, We were in control and looked solid and confident. And then Oliver decided to leave his mark on the game. I still can’t believe that Trossard was sent off and he was the one making that decision. But by then he’d lost control of the game and I’ve never seen that before.

That second half performance though was a complete statement. Let’s start with Arteta. As incandescent with anger as he rightly was about the sending off from half-time onwards he remained calm and in control. He had to make a half time change now we were down to ten men. But who would have guessed he’d take off Saka – our captain? He brought back White and reverted to a back-five. And for more than 45 minutes we withstood the City onslaught. The backbone, organization combined with the physical effort was just so impressive. It made you proud to watch this team throw every body part on the line to defend this lead. They completed nuted City. City, with all the talent they had on display, just ran out of ideas. We just sat there and denied them any space.

It’s hard to know who on our team to praise more. Aside from the time the ugly Norwegian got between them, Saliba and Gabriel suffocated him. Blocked very shot and dominated our defense. Raya put in yet another outstanding display making numerous reflex saves and controlling his area for any crosses. Partey only made one or two errors – BTW why would anyone try to chest down the ball in the penalty area as he did? Luckily Raya made another refex save from Gvardiol.

You could see why Arteta swapped over Timber to the right in order to man mark the dangerous Doku. In that first half, with Rice playing on the right-side, they were able to recreate, with Saka, that triangle we used to see with Odegaard. We really are a better team with Timber.

Rice had to swap back to the left-hand side in the second half but in that first half he was so much more comfortable than he has been than in his other games this season. And in the second half he defended tirelessly. Then we have Have-that who defended like his life depended on it. Running himself into the ground. You have to love his spirit. But then you have to love everyones. Even Martinelli. He was left to mark Bernardo. Even though he seems unable to score goals he definitely knows how to defend.

At half-time I would have settled for a draw. Before the game I would have settled for a draw. But with 7 minutes of extra-time I wanted that win. And certainly with 1 minute left. But it’s hard to be too disappointed to only come away with a draw. Psychologically we got the victory. I know that does not count towards points in the table. The belief though this team showed, the effort, concentration and determination was not something we’ve seen from an Arsenal team since the best of the Wenger years. Today this team grew up. It moved to a different level.

As unjust as this game was – City did not deserve to draw; we did not deserve to play the entire half with 10 men – and even though they scored in the dying embers of the game, we saw today that we genuinely have a team that can compete with City. This team is ready. It can win the league. The unity they displayed along with the focus and teamwork made me realize we are ready this year. And the players we needed to bring on supported the team. In prior years we’d not have the players on the bench to cover for injuries and tiredness.

This team can win the league. We are good enough. It does not mean we will. If the appalling state of referring in this country is not addressed we will have many injustices to overcome. And note that in the entirety of the second half Arteta remained in control and calm on the sidelines. No histrionics. It was Pep who went and kicked his chair. It was Pep who was screaming at his bench and his players. Not Arteta. That move of White for Saka and moving to a back five saved us. His team is one we should be mighty proud of. Today Arsenal were the winners – I don’t care what the scoreline said. This is a team we can believe in. This is a team we can bet on. This is a team that reminded me of the old Arsenal. Resolute, dogged and tough to beat. The ghosts of Sol Campbell, Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira and Martin Keown were joined today by our backline and goalkeeper.

Was I disappointed in the end? Sure. But, more importantly, by the end I was mighty proud of this team. And saw enough to know we will only get better. That we will truly compete this year. And with that I can sleep soundly tonight. Unlike Michael Oliver who should be having nightmares for weeks are that embarrassing display.

-LB7

Yet another NLD victory. But this one was different. With a severely weakened team, we fought and eked out a deserved victory.

After the Kavanaugh induced injustice from our last match and the stupidity of pointless international matches we were reduced to a very restricted midfield. Nonetheless, after surviving the first 15 minute onslaught, we defended as resolutely as ever, kept a clean sheet (again) and walked out with the all important 3 points.

I still don’t expect us to win the league this year given that we continue to face the uncensored machine that we face next week. Matches and victories like this remind us how far Arteta has grown this team. In fact, it reminded me a little of the early Arteta performances when we only had the ability to defend and counter-attack. Of course, we have evolved a long way since then. But performances like this where we grit it out and find a way to win whilst being clearly undermanned, just go to underpin the mental strength of this team.

Of course, the defense was again colossal.  White seemed off his best today but that was more than compensated for by the tigerish Timber. How we missed this last year. Timber was defensively excellent and yet still spring into attack on a number of occasion. That was our best left back performance since the days of Monreal. Alongside him Gabriel was like a rock. Throwing himself on the line to block everything and then springing up to head that all important goal. Alongside him Saliba was cool and calm as ever with Raya providing that additional protection. With this defense, we surely have a platform to continue to challenge. I’d have to give the man of the match though to Gabriel due to that winning goal, otherwise it would have been Timber.

Midfield was where we were at risk today. Jorginho brought poise and control. It was his first game this season and you could see him visibly tire towards the end. Alongside him Partey provided cover fo the defense but still got caught on the ball too often and was too sloppy with his passing. But between them, they managed to restrict Sp*rs. Partey though does not inspire great confidence. His slowness on the ball seems destined to put us in jeopardy. You just know he is one step away from giving the ball to them in a dangerous position. In the first half his first step, on their breakaways, was invariably the wrong one. Moving to block the square pass and not the forward one. But this opposition were just not good enough to exploit that.

From having one of the youngest starting teams in the league last year, our midfield today had a collective age greater than the years since Sp*rs last won the league. Fortunately we’ll have Rice back for the next league game. Away at City won’t be the same story for sure.

Both wingers today worked overtime on their defensive duties. Martinelli in particular. It’s a shame though that he’s lost his strikers instinct. I thought the turning point might have been that missed opportunity in the first half. Clearly he should have squared the ball to Saka instead of that weak shot. He had more time to take a few more steps if he was going to shot. We’ve seen this from him this year. That’s why Trossard has gotten more time. In game like this, you just have to takes these chances.

Speaking of Trossard, I did not expect him to play this withdrawn role. It’s dangerous, because, like Partey he will lose the ball outside our box just as we’re starting our counterattacks.  His effectiveness was reduced today but given the teams set-up that was not too surprising. Ahead of him Have-that worked as hard as ever and had one chance with one header that was well saved. Overall though he clearly missed Odegaard. As did Saka.

Saka, who, for some reason was forced to play each minute (more or less) of those stupid international games, was too isolated today without Odegaard to feed him the ball. And he had to defend a lot. Of course, he got yet another assist from his corner.

As I had mentioned all the way through the transfer window my biggest concern was the lack of cover for Odegaard. We now have been fully exposed to his absence. It’s hard to figure out how to replicate his contribution but clearly weakens the best part of our team – Saka. Arteta won’t give anything away to help our opposition to prepare but it seems clear we won’t see him to the other side of the next useless international break. This is analogous to what happened to City with KDB last year – and hopefully we’ll end up with the same outcome.

I always thought Lloris was a liability for them and therefore was sad to see him replaced. But thankfully their new guy can’t handle corners. Sure he can stop a shot and is not as bad as Lloris with the ball at his feet, but we’ve seen a number of occasions where he’s been Fabiansky-like in flapping for the ball. I don’t think we’d scored from a corner yet this year so one was due even without Rice there to launch them into the box. For Gabriels goal though – from inside the six yard box – he was walled off by Saliba and White. So, it was a brilliant defensive effort on both ends of the pitch.

I would happily have taken a draw before the game started, With this depleted midfield I thought they would overrun us and leave the slow-horses of Jorginho and Partey in their wake. They just weren’t smart enough to do that. I thought Sp*rs were overall pretty lethargic. Solanki looked ok – better than Richarlson. Though that’s like saying life is better than death. Son was threatening in that first 15 minutes but then lost his way. And overall, they just could not muster much in the way of attempts on goal. Thankfully, it looks like they are in for a frustrating season. We can only hope.

Our bench was pretty bare today. Full of teenagers. Except for the two City alumni that both came on at the same time. Neither of which had too much time to impact the game. It’s just strange seeing Sterling in our (adjusted) colours. This was a good signing due to Chelski paying at least half of his wages to play for us. And with Nelson leaving, we needed more depth. After losing the wonderful ESR we needed something. And that came with the addition by subtraction of Vieira. Without Merino we are on a skeleton crew. Until after the next stupid international break. Let’s see if Norway have the chutzpah to call after Odegaard for those matches.

So, now we have our 2^nd of three away matches. This time in Italy. Again, all I need is a draw from this one – and no injuries. We’ll have minimal time to recover before we journey up north for the challenge of City. When you look at the depth of their bench and compare it to ours you can see where still a transfer window away from being able to withstand these types of waves of injuries. But this performance today was so determined and resolute. With a classic scoreline of 1 nil to the Arsenal. How can you not love that?

So we get to enjoy this for a few days – and keep those Everton-like upstarts in their place for another few months. And let’s hope that we pick up no more injuries though it would be good if some of them could find away to avoid responding to international call-ups.

And lastly, as much as I don’t understand why we did not find a suitable back-up for Odegaard, I was relived that we tied Arteta down for another three years. I would have liked to have seen a longer contract but I’ll take this. I’m pretty convinced his committed to this team and club. And we should be more than happy committing to him. We might not win the league this year but we are certainly an improved team. And it stems from him. He turned this club around in a way that Wenger changed our trajectory. Of course, he can’t be in the same category as that because he’s not won enough trophies – though you wonder what Wenger would have done if he had to face City and Pep. Nonetheless, we are very fortunate to have him. And just remember back to how he was first viewed when he was appointed. We are indeed lucky.

-LB7

What a team, what a result, What a goalie.

First of all, thank you Mr. Watkins. Without you, we could easily have – unjustly – lost this game. A very technical game between two really good, well coached teams. As the saying goes, it’s a game of fine margins. When we were here last season we squandered our chances and this time, it was Villa that did. Of course, that was in no small part due to the performance of Raya.

I think I’m finally at the point where I’ll accept him now as our GK. Which, of course, means I’ve just jinxed him going forward. But that save in the second half from Watkins was the game-changer. The reflex save was even better than the one last week against Wolves. Both these reflex saves could have been made by Ramsdale (though he’d need very long arms form the bench) but Raya has proven himself now. All that’s needed is for us to have a dedicated song in his name. But I leave that to others.

With all the focus and pressure on us chasing City last season it’s easy to forget what a good team we have. Watching us today, it struck me during that first half how evolved this team is. How much we controlled the game and how we imposed our rhythm and style on a really well coached Villa team. The accountant was a disaster for us – the club was just too big for him. But Villa fits him nicely and you can see how improved they are. Depending on how their European venture develops will govern whether they make the top 4 again. But they will be a constant threat.

So, for this victory we could thank the player we did not sign – Watkins – the goalkeeper we did transfer – Martinez – and the one we did sign – Raya. Instead, we had the little Belgium to thank for snatching the victory. In the early years of Arteta it felt like his substitutions were often ill-timed. Todays were perfect. With Trossards first touch he scored. What a game-changer he has turned out to be for us. Martinelli was pretty good today but there is just something different about Trossard. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

In the first half it felt like, too often, when playing it out from Saliba and Gabriel, we ignored our right; Saka was starved of the ball. He produced one excellent save from Martinez but was subdued beyond that. And of course, that first goal came from the usual triangle of White, Odegaard and Saka – with some help from Partey. And that’s not to ignore the workrate of Have-that that helped pressure the ball to Trossard.

Odegaard was majestic today. Working hard to close them down but so imaginative when on the ball. Tielemans tried to shadow him across the pitch but that’s a fools errand. Odegaard pulled the strings today. It’s just a shame he passed up the chance for the third when he skyed the ball after yet more impressive work from Trossard. In the 20 minutes that Trossard was on he created more opportunities and more of a threat then Martinelli – and he also managed to chase back to help out Calafiori.

I’ve been quick to complain and worry about Partey. With our new signing, it surely reduces his playing time. Today though he was on fire. His passing was more precise and his involvement more central to everything we did. He was more available to receive the ball and more constructive in his passing. He had his handful though with Rogers who did turn him a few times. This version of Partey is the one I recognize from 3 years ago. It’s just not clear if his performance is reproducible. Today though was more than good enough.

Rice was a little subdued. It’s not clear how this left midfield role suits him. I’m sure his still a little bit behind in his fitness. And with new addition maybe he’ll revert to his holding midfield position. But today he was our third best midfield player. And that’s OK when the bar is so high.

This defense though is pretty impressive ; yet another clean sheet. Todays result would have been unimaginable if Zinny had played instead of Timber. That instance in the first half where Bailey chased a ball over the top and Timber matched him stride for stride would never have happened with Zinny. Timber adds robustness and strength. I mean, he can actually defend. Imagine that. And he can easily played the inverted role when we’re in possession. You could see him, from the kick off, move inside alongside Partey. Then as the half progressed he pushed out wider. He has a flexibility and adaptability that, once he gets more minutes and playing time, will elevate his game and elevate this team. How reassuring is that! Another way in which we’ll be further improved from last year.

As relieved as I was to see Timber in the starting lineup it’s a little worrying that Jesus could not even make the bench. Ironically, he would have come on for Martinelli rather than Trossard. We need more depth though if this is going to be the Jesus of last year. Surely if Eddie does go off to Sherwood Forest, we’ll being in an additional attacker. Have-that seems like our designated center-forward now. He had one very difficult chance in the first half but no other obvious chances. But his work-rate and defending is crucial to this team. And, again, he’s much improved from last year. Another way in which we’re better.

Unlike last week, where he was getting rid of some cob-webs, Saliba was back to his Rolls-Royce best. There are many examples of the calmness and intelligence of his defending but the most obvious one was when there was a breakaway in the second half with White out of position. Saliba turned on the after-burners and made up twenty yards to close down and limit a shot that Raya was able to Parry. His speed of recovery was surprising but not his overall level of play. So much of the ball carrying goes through him. Alongside him Gabriel was very solid but you know he usually has one mistake a game in him. And today that lead to him disposed at the edge of our area. Somehow, Watkins managed to scuff the ball wide. That and his header that Raya miraculously saved were their game changers .

That Rogers is some fine player. I can see him vying for playing time with England soon. Though he faded as the game went on, he was mighty impressive – a real box-to-box player. And to think that he was playing for Middlesborough 9 months ago. And if were not for Watkins and Martinez, we’d have viewed his contribution in a different light. And with Lee Carsly watching, we might also see White recalled to the England team. He was thoroughly dominant again and surely the best right-back that England have.

That’s the first goal Partey has scored for us in a year or two. And this one, created via our love triangle on the right, was largely down to Martinez. I like it when he performs like this or when he scores an own goal for us. When you look at him and Raya you can see why we made the change even if the financial aspects might be imbalanced. I can do without his arrogance and lack of distribution skills, but 9 times out of 10 he would save that Partey shot. At 2-0 though we could finally relax. I was happy to see Saka protected and give Nelson some minutes. His defending has improved along with his work-rate. I can’t see how we can let him go in this transfer window now that Eddie is headed out.

We deserved to win today, we were the better team even though they could have gone ahead. This team is incrementally moving in the right direction. And to make a great performance and a great day even better we (and in particular me) might be able to finally say good night Vieira. I think it’s fair to say I’ve never taken to him. I don’t see where he fits for us. He’s too light-weight, does not work hard enough, is not physical, and has no clear end product. He’s a classic luxury player who will once in a blue moon do something really impressive. But, I hate watching him play. I don’t trust him and I don’t see what he brings to this team. I only wish we had sold him outright and retained ESR. But that ship has sailed but at least Vieira will be on the next boat (or plane) out. I will put him in the same category as Gervinho or Aliadiere, players who flattered to deceive. Hopefully he’ll feel at home in Porto and increase his final sale value for us.

Now we have a week to wallow in this wonderful performance, victory and three points.  Having vanquished one ghost from last year we have up next Brighton. Not a team to underestimate. Hopefully I’ll be able to find tickets for this game and get to experience it in person along with 60,000 other people.

-LB7

That’s how to start a season. Clean sheet and three points.

Though our main competitors also seemed to have won, this was always going to be a tricky fixture. The new phrase we’re destined to hear all season long now is “fine margins”. The pressure is on, we can’t make any mistakes, drop any points etc. The season is too long to worry about that. You have to pace your self and try to focus on enjoying the football.

There were periods today when we could but, to their credit, Wolves pushed us. They had a few chances that could have altered the course of the game. Fortunately we had Raya to save us. Who would have thought I’d have said that. And in our first game. Wonders never cease.

Team selection was fairly predictable. Zinny was always going to be left back but I’m not sure I expected Have-that to start up front. In addition to the vital first goal you could again see his all-round value to our team. Arteta will always have to find a way to get him on the team sheet.

It turns out this was the ideal first match for us. At home against a useful team but not too useful. Nice preparation for Villa. This built on our pre-season but added a competitive edge. And we needed this. While you could see the patterns and style of play from last year you could also see the rustiness as well. Players who are only just back still need time to find their feet. I mean, how often do you see Saliba misplace passes that expose our back line; three times today. And how often do you see Rice go down with cramp? And Saka being substituted? This should all help for next week.

I remember last season it took Saka up to 7 games to rediscover his top form. And this year he has had reduced recuperation time. At least today he was not kicked too much. I’ve always been a little impressed with Ait-Nouri. But here we are on the first day and he’s created the opening goal and then sealed the victory with the second.

Of course, Have-that demonstrated our dilemma upfront. As important as that first goal was we saw him squander a potentially critical chance in the second half. That was the chance to put the game away. Wolves come out more organized and more aggressive in the second half. There was a sustained period where we were on the back foot and looking likely to concede. That chance could have saved us. But thankfully Saka’s did.

Overall though you’d have to say that Wolves did pretty well blunting our creativity. But they failed to control Odegaard and most good things emanated from him. He is just too important to this team and I see no like for like replacement. And that’s worrying. In most other areas we have some cover but not for our captain.

Martinelli was pretty effective but then it was Doherty marking him. His speed and directness is critical to our counter attacking approach so let’s hope he can re-discover his scoring shoes this year. The advantage of playing Rice as a #8 is that it adds more potency to our left hand side; it provides a better balance to the team. And with Have-that dropping back to also help, we are defensively better as well.

Their main chances though did originate from our give-aways as we tried to play out. Have-that in the first half along with the misplaced Saliba passes and then Partey and the cameo by Timber. But Raya was on his game today. That’s the second time I’ve complemented him. And we’re only one game in. Maybe I’m just so relieved with our three points and the absence of Vieira.

That cameo by Timber was illuminating. We’ve not really seen much of him because of his ACL injury. And it seemed like he was determined to make up for all that lost time in the limited time he was on the pitch. Whether he was overlapping Saka or trying to dribble his way of our defense, he seemed so desperate to be involved that his excitement got the better of him. But, given time, you could see him being an upgrade on poor Zinny. As much as Zinny was able to help us create down the left and as much as he was able to invert and link up, his defensive limitations were, as ever, all to visible. I can’t imagine he’ll be starting against Baily versus Villa next week. Of course, we could always use our new pretty boy instead; Calafiori looked dashingly handsome on the bench again today. We’ve finally found our Pires replacement.

I know it’s merely one game but it seemed that VAR was slightly tamed today. Less intervention and quicker decisions. Not that there was too much controversy. Let’s hope that can continue. With each goal today there was no delayed celebration and then no delay while we had to hold our breath. Let’s hope it does not make up for lost time next week.

We saw the full range from Partey today. Sharp link up play with Odegaard, vertical passes that released Have-that and others. Yet, we also saw his sluggish and slow recovery. And getting caught on the ball because his decision making was too slow. At his worse he can remind me of how Xhaka, when playing in that position, would look like a slow horse, treading water as other rans past him. And yet, he is available to help work the ball through the lines to push us forward. I remain nervous of his reliability and concerned about his ability to consistently available. Can he stay fit this year? I doubt it.

Aside from Odegaard, the player who seemed most ready to play the full 90 minutes was Benny White. Of all our defenders he was the only one who was both careful and reliable with his distribution while not (like Gabriel) giving away fouls in dangerous areas. Now if only we could train him to speed up his throw-ins. Each one seems to take an eternity. On the the other side it is not much better. We certainly need a throw-in coach for this team. Just maybe, with White and Odegaard, we just saw the benefits of not playing summer International football. Both seemed fitter and raring to go. And, of course, unlike Rice, Saka and Saliba, these two have had the entire summer to rest, relax and then immerse themselves in a full pre-season.

While we have a tough schedule ahead of us, it’s going to take a little time for this team to fully rediscover its rhythm. Of course, this is true of all the other teams as well. With the window still open, let’s hope we can bring in a couple more players to bolster the depth of our squad. You could see today Arteta using his bench to good effect. We’ll need to rotate more than last year. That only happens if there are players there he trusts. With Calafiori, Timber and Jesus plus Trossard that’s a base of 15. Hopefully we can include Nwaneri as well. But a little more strengthening is needed.

So after a couple of stress free months we now enter that nine month cycle of pain, suffering with the hope that at the end we get the satisfaction and enjoyment we crave. Let’s just hope it’s a better outcome than I obtained after each of the nine month of anticipating for each of my children. Because, trust me, it was not worth the suffering.  So gear yourself up, strap yourself in. We will be in a pretty challenging title race against City, Liverpool, Villa, United and others. Sure we’ll be able to laugh and that lot down the road and also at the squandered money of Chelsea, but let not forget to enjoy the talent, style, rhythm and pleasure of watching how we play this game.

-LB7

Well, hello there dear reader. Welcome back. We’d not broken up; we we’re just on a break. But we’re back now. And just in time before kick-off tomorrow.

Before we get sucked into the vortex of another season I thought it would be wise to note down some recent pre-season developments before the fog of war causes the memory to fade.

My heart broke. I know it was destined to happen. There had been just too much noise; too much smoke. Sure, we received a tidy sum. But we’ve lost ESR. I loved this boy. The quintessential Arsenal academy product. My Wilshire replacement. His style of play, his goals and his class. But somehow injuries and the wasted money on Vieira have conspired to force him out of the club. Though I could never wish well on Fulham, I pray he achieves the success there he deserves. He will be missed. We will not be able to witness his best years. We should have sold Vieira – or just left him by the side of the road. I also recognize that we have Nwaneri and he must receive playing time. He is another generational talent. So, I can see why this is a good move for ESR and for us (i.e. the money with a buy-back option I hope) but it still brings tears to my eyes. BTW, do you know who ESR came on for as a substitute in his first Arsenal appearance? Do you know who passed to ESR for his first Arsenal goal? Iwobi in both cases.

Can someone explain to me these weird transfers that we’ve seen over the summer between Villa, Newcastle and Chelsea. How is this not goosing the books to avoid PSR issues? Can’t blame them for gaming the system I suppose but if there actually was a real authority running this sport this would be stamped out. But then the same people can’t even figure out how to fix VAR nor can they handle the issue of the 115.

With all the debate and disagreements about who we have signed and who we should have signed. All the bleating about Toney and other forwards. The demand for us to have a backup to Saka etc. We genuinely need a true defensive midfield/holding player.

My next, and possibly most unnerving point; here’s the thing I’ve not heard discussed at all and it is the most clear and obvious risk that we run. Odegaard. What the hell would we do if he was injured? Who is the natural replacement? Sure, he is a uniquely gifted player. No-one could actually replace him. But it’s unreasonable to expect him to play the minutes he played last year. At some point (and I don’t mean to jinx this) he will pick up a knock or two. Then who would we use to link up with Saka and White to provide that creativity down our right? Please, oh please, don’t even think about Vieira.

What is going on at Chelsea. Really. Not that I care. They are a basket case. It’s gotten borderline embarrassing. Their American owners make you miss their Oligarch. How many players can one team play at once. Of course, this goes back to these weird transfers. And while I naturally only desire that that lot down the road implode and fail miserably this season (as they always do) it’s really hard not to despise Chelsea nearly as much and just hope they suffer an equivalent fate. They really are bringing the game into disrepute.

Back to us. I’ve been impressed with certain players in our pre-season. In particular Nelson has looked like a rejuvenated player. I can see him being a reasonable (and cheap) cover for Saka. It’s been torture to see Vieira in this position. Of course Nelson was deemed to be headed to Leicester. Why can’t we send Vieira there instead. Given that Eddie seems headed out for a tidy sum, we should retain Reece and use the money to get cover for Odegaard.

Partey is still with us. The Saudis’ lost interest. Unfortunately. We could have used that money. Instead, he’ll run down his contract (which is his right) and spend too much time injured. It’s hard to see how we can rely on him for the season ahead. With more fixtures and greater expectations, we must have a more balanced and deeper squad to support the added pressure. Partey, on his day, can help link up our play and dissect the opposition with his forward passing. But we just know his body will fail him. If we knew he would remain fit I’d be more than happy to keep him. But we just know, in the real world, that won’t happen.

Jesus looks rejuvenated. Martinelli looks fit again (not in that way dear boy). But I don’t know you’d want to really on either for the goals we’ll need. Have-that will only get better but I’d still like to see us add a striker. Once Eddie moves on, may, just maybe we’ll sneak off and grab Toney. He could be our last minute summer shopping.

This season will be tougher for us. More fixtures. And everyone is now saying we should be expecting to win the league. Mark me down as a skeptic. If we do have a back-up for Odegaard and we bring in a defensive midfielder along with a striker, then we might have a deep enough squad. But we saw last year you can’t get by with just 12 or 13 core players. We will progress. We will continue on our upward trajectory. But now we’ll have the media jumping all over us as soon as we lose a game. The margin for error is so small. All we need is for Rodri to move to Gibraltar.

Predictions for this season:

Top 4 – City, Arsenal, Liverpool, United

Bottom 3 – Sp*rs, Chelsea, Sp*rs Reserves

-LB7

TOTL again. If only for one more short stay. Three point were mandatory today. But this was a pretty grim game. We were pretty shit. Thankfully United have perfected playing like shit all season long.

The team picked itself again. Within the first two minutes we were swarming all over them and created some half chances. But this was a strange game indeed. United really are pretty useless. Their team is unrecognizable as a United team. They really are a team decimated by injuries and with the Most Boring Manager of all time.

This was a strangely subdued performance by Arsenal. Arguably our worst showing since Fulham. But all that matters is that we won. Somehow, we created, care of Casemiro playing at walking pace a goal through White then Have-that setting up Trossard. It’s quite amazing how many important goals Trossard has scored for us. I’m sure I said this last week as well. He rarely scores the last goal in a 5-0 victory. Which if course is why his unfortunate miss against Villa will likely cost us the league title.

When White played that pass to Have-that I just waited for the offside flag to go up. Out of shot though Casemiro was taking a lunchtime stroll out of their penalty area. And then Have-that played the perfect pass to set up Trossard. It’s fair to say most of our team had a quiet game today. But, here again, Have-that created yet another goal for us. It’s remarkable how important he has become for this team.

White though had one of his quietest games. At times he was being turned inside out by Garnacho. And often losing his man. Saka provided little protection today and seemed pretty uninvolved. There were so many sloppy passes that I lost count. A prime example was Partey – the master of the bad pass – losing the ball on the edge of our area only for Hojlund to then slip over.

We seemed to degenerate down to the level of United today and that’s something we’ve not done for a while. They really were pretty useless. But we were so average that, at times, we even made Amrabat look like a half decent player. It was such a frustrating performance. And surprising given the importance of this game. We lacked energy, fluency and any rhythm. There was just no sparkle.

United structurally were like a poor man’s Porto. They flooded the midfield and starved Odegaard of the ball. Rice was barely involved and Partey was completely ineffective. So, while the backline passed the ball around, no-one was able to get free and create space to receive the ball.

Amongst the mediocrity on the pitch one man shone like a beacon. Saliba was head and shoulders the best player on the field. As White and others made mistakes Saliba was there to clean up and regain control. On the infrequent occasions when their players broker through he would marshal them away from goal and prevent any real threat. He exuded calmness and pose. He is surely the best center half in the premier league.

Raya had a few important saves to make but most of the time he just held the ball at his feet and waiting for players to find some space. As Wenger would say, today we played with the handbrake on. Maybe it was the importance of the occasion and our history at Old Trafford. Given their pathetic line-up I thought we’d slaughter them today rather than struggle to hold onto a 1-0 win. Not that they actually threatened us. There was a sloppiness to our game and lack of decisiveness on the ball. We seemed happy to comfortably pass the ball sideways. We seemed unsure how to play against a team that is completely dysfunctional.

I’d been looking forward to this game. After the hard work of playing Sp*rs away and Chelsea, I’d always been confident of this fixture. Especially as they were missing Fernandez, Rashford and many others. I did not expect such a dull and tedious game. A game lacking in any real quality. After our goal we seemed content to just manage the game out.  To our credit we were able to do this. But this was not a performance you’d expect from a team looking to win the league. Yet, we got the three points. And that’s what counts at this time of the season.

So, we go into the last match against Everton still in contention. Marginally. With City due to play those wankers on Tuesday, we really can’t expect to actually still be TOTL come Sunday. Even if those wankers could muster a performance I’m not holding my breath. Big Ange will play his predictable high line and provide ample opportunities for City to score multiple times. While I certainly expected Fulham to have put up more of a fight I have no expectations for Tuesday.

I won’t be watching the game and will merely check on the result an hour after the game has concluded. City will pull that lot apart and make them look as weak and vunerable as they are. Richarlson will predictably miss a few open chances and Son will be invisible. As their imbecile fans will actually rejoice in losing to City. As incapable of they are of witnessing their team winning any trophies all they can do is pray that we can’t lift the title. Of course, we gave up any realistic expectation of that after the Villa loss. But that lot can’t even muster a team with a backbone. Remember how they were 10 games into the season. All smug and full of themselves. And now they’ll be lucky to get into the NoHoppa Cup. They will lose to City and then rejoice in us not being denied the title. That’s the extent of their aspirations.

At least against Everton we should see the return of our vibrant, attacking, open football. None of the dreary action that we witnessed today. I don’t mind too much. It was, as they say, a professional performance against a bang up average team. But, oh was it boring. Come Sunday, though we can enjoy our final game of a wonderful season where we have seen this team evolve and excel. The progress we have made is self-evident. It would be nice to see ESR get a few minutes at the end of the game. It would be nice to see Partey on the bench. Unfortunately, I’m losing patience with him. Fearful of his next lazy pass or being caught on the ball. I would have loved to have seen Jorginho come on much earlier today. Everton should be a more entertaining game. One where we can celebrate the achievement of this team. And look forward to a bright future.

-LB7

TOTL still. Not quite as exciting or passionate as last weekend but an important win nonetheless. While we purred early in the first half this turned into more of a grind than the scoreline would suggest. We dominated and created so many chances in the first half that it started to feel like one of those games where we would never score.

Now we’re only playing once a week this team picks itself. Now is not the time of year to take any chances or change up a system that is running so smoothly. Right from the off we dominated with our right-hand side again creating numerous opportunities. They had one opportunity care of one of Gabriel’s’ mental mistake. Today was not his best game. Alongside him though he had the silky Saliba to clean up any mess. Throughout this game Saliba was at his imperious best.

Odegaard and Rice dominated this game. Odegaard roams around the field acting as a catalyst for our creativity. It was his pass that set up Have-that for our first goal. Yes, it was a penalty – just. If it was called against us I’d have been very upset but would have accepted it. We needed this given the number of other chances we’d spurned. I don’t get why VAR has to take so long though. I’ve said this so many times, but if it’s remit is to identifiy clear and obvious errors it should not take 3+ minutes. I mean, if it’s clear and obvious it should not take that long. It’s in that first word – clear. If its not clear then VAR should return control to the referee within a minute or so.

Of course, VAR was involved again in the denying them a goal late on. But again, the call on the field was right and any potential comeback was snuffed out. But I wonder why VAR did not look at that challenge on Saka by Christie early in the first half.

Rice looked to be running on fumes at times but was still able to muster our third goal. The only player to be able, so late in the game, to make a lung busting run from deep by-passing sleeping Bournemouth players. Sure, he should have scored in the first half as well but we can forgive him that (just). In time his composure and finishing will improve. His presence this year has been pivotal in the improvement of this team. And our presence this year has been pivotal in his improvement. Operating mainly on the left he’s not quite struck up a relationship with Odegaard but his physicality has strengthened our team. As has been said many times, we really should be paying WHU additional fees. This just looks like daylight robbery. Of all the other players signed for fees in excess of £100m, I can’t think of any that compare. Grealish, Enzo, Mudryk and Caicedo combined aren’t worth the price paid for Rice.

Trossard is at the other end of the scale. A sneak, relatively cheap acquisition in the January 23 window, he is now our third top scorer. That second goal finally provided us with some breathing room. His goals always seem to be important ones not the late game tap-ins when the result is already settled. You can see why he’s displaced Martinelli now. And if you had any doubt, looked at that opportunity Martinelli had when he did come on. Last year he’d have run away and converted that chance. This year he was barely able to make it into the box before falling over. I wonder if there’s something going on with him. Something does not look quite right. Maybe he’s carrying an injury but he does not seem entirely fit and certainly he’s lost some of his acceleration. Even his defending was a little suspect getting nutmegged and not protecting Tomi. Not that Tomi needed too much help today. Another solid performance from him – he even wandered inside and linked up play quite nicely. He’s firmly kept Zinny rooted to the bench now,

Have-that was critical today. He was involved in so many good things. His confidence was so high. He had a few nice chances and, of course, made the run that created that first goal. His overall link up play was stellar and his movement was excellent. And he still found time to track back and help the defense. He really has elevated his game to another level in the last few months. He really is a threat now. And he has firmly kept Jesus rooted to the bench now. It’s a pleasure watching his movement and his football intelligence matches that of Odegaard. Imagine where Chelski could have been if they retained both Have-that and Jorghino.

Another clean sheet today. Sure, there was a little luck involved. On another day their disallowed goal could have been given.  But Raya really only had one important save to make today. It’s not like they battered our defense even if they did exert more control in the second half – though it would be hard to have been starved of the ball as much as they were in the first half.

Saka, after being attacked by Christie, helped create down our right. But it did seem that he was a little off his best today. It was refreshing to see him replaced today – resting him for the United game. He took his penalty wonderfully calmly but seemed to be operating on fumes at times.

There were periods in the first half when we just tore through them. We could (and should) have been 3-0 up before the penalty changed the game. But just remember back to last year when we’d have to find miraculous ways to win these types of games. This year there is so much less drama. It’s a sign of the maturity of this team. We might not end up winning the league but there can be no doubt how smooth and entertaining this team is.

You only have to look to our own touchline. Last year Arteta would be passionately running up and down transmitting his energy and angst to the team. Now you see a much more considered and calmer Arteta. Still orchestrating the tactics and strategy but now he’s  more confident and his team is more able to constantly follow his direction.

So another victory. That’s four on the run after the Villa fiasco. Scoring 13 goals just the two against the wankers last week. Three clean sheets out of four games. In the meantime, those wankers have lost three in a row and Liverpool have only won 2 of their last seven league games. And to think that last year we were accused of choking. The silence about these two teams is deafening.

Just two more games now. As confident as you can be that we’ll win these games it’s still a long shot against the City Machine. Inevitably they will demolish the abject wankers scoring multiple times from dead-balls situations as their Australian guru will claim he’s not worried about set-pieces. Which means are hopes rest on Fulham and West Ham. We need either West London or East London to help us because no-one else in North London can help us now.

In the meantime, we remain TOTL for another week. Enjoy it while it lasts. This will go down to the final match of the season stretching out the agony. But, like last season, it will just add fuel to our desire for next season. But for today, a nice three points will do nicely thank you.

-LB7