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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

North London was Red, is Red and will forever be Red.

TOTL

The End

More stressful that in needed to be care of our goalkeeper, but thoroughly deserved victory against a rather toothless Sp*rs. This team picks itself nowdays. And from the beginning, though under pressure in an intense environment, this team held fir, was mature and largely untroubled.

Sure, we rode our luck a little care of a post or two and a favorable ref. And VAR that only wanted to sparingly intervene. As should be the case.

For all their bluster, this was a controlled mature performance. For all their claims to being at our level, they were unable to trouble us aside from our self-inflected wounds. The gulf in class was evident. We were destined to win this game. And deserved to. I hate playing this lot. It’s like playing your defective, useless younger brother. You are always expected to win but you know the odds are you’ll have to lose one of these games. That one in a hundred game. That they will then wallow over (and issue a DVD). Especially today with their desire to (undeservedly) join the Champions League elite and deny us a chance at the title.

But as we demonstrated with the Invincibles, when playing this lot you can always be assured of the result you require. They are just not – and never have been – in the same league or class as us. But my, are they noisy and loud. The chutzpah they have to claim equality with us when they have literally won nothing in decades. When they continuously fail to deliver on anything. But yet somehow they consider themselves to be our peer. It’s a joke really. They are not so much the noisy neighbors but the irrelevant neighbours. They are the Ruttles to our Beatles. They are the Prince Andrew to our King Charles. They are Liz Truss to our Tony Blair. You get the drift. They are upstarts that are unworthy of being a competitor.

White was charmingly annoying on each of our corners distracting their keeper and helping us, care of Hojbjerg, taking the lead. As good as cross as that was from Saka that was soon superceded by Rice to allow the wonderful Have-That to grab the third goal. But before that we had a few sliding door moments. Though they might have had some possession they really weren’t that threatening. Aside from corners. Romero had come close once. And then there were two penalty penalties decisions as a prelude to our second goal.

Trossard, who was wasteful with the ball most of the game, blew on Kulusevski as he ran into the box, stumbled and then passed to Maddison (I think). Rice proceeded to tackle him before he also fell over. While my favourite referee, The Right Honorable, Sir Michael Oliver of Highbury, waved play on, Rice feed Saka you released Have-That. Rather than pass to Trosard he switched the play to the unmarked Saka whos first touch was delicious. He then proceeded, in a Henry-esque manner, to skin Davies and put away the all important second goal. As brilliant as the finish was by Saka, that vision and execution by Have-That was exquisite. Yet again Have-that was the standout player. One assist and that third goal. And his overall work rate, link-up play and physicality – along with his slightly edgy but quiet personality – was crucial today. Compare that to their most annoying substitute. That Cunning Ungrateful Noxious Temperamental Richarlson who, from the first minute, was trying to wind up and hurt  our players.

Unfortunately, Raya made a colossal mistake. Dithering and indecision causing him to set up Romero. Until that point they were thoroughly beaten. In the second half they had nothing. No threat. This game was petering out. The crowd were subdued, and they created nothing. Their acclaimed manager, The great Big Fat Ange, had done nothing to change the game. No tactical tweak or adaptation. Nothing. Glory be to Ange the great next wonder of the world. Nothing. But here were here, care of Raya, failing to manage the situation. There was absolutely zero reason to be cute or take a chance in this situation. Sure, anyone can make a mistake. But not in this game, not in this situation. Unforgivable. And, if they had managed a third and caused us to lose the race for the title, he would have been crucified. Instead, Rice finally allowed them to win a penalty and we had to suffer through the last 10 agonizing minutes.

As unconscionable as that Raya mistake was, he really did not have a save to make during this game. Our defense was rock solid. Son, aside from his penalty, was anonymous. Maddison, who was substituted off way too early by Mr. Big. Brain. Ange, irrelevant. They had possession without any clear intent. Four of the five goals today came from set-pieces and clear mistakes. Only the Saka goal was from open play.

In prior season you would have bet on us to end up drawing this game. But this is a different team now (even with Raya). There was a backbone and resilience we did not see last year. Having Saliba and Gabriel at the core of the defense with Rice and Partey sitting in front of them provide the type of protection we’ve not had since the days of Koscielny. Partey can still get caught dithering on the ball too often but his finding his game again. And with Rice there, who was again relentless in his defense, enables us to defend a lead in ways we’ve not been able to do.

Back to White. Another impressive performance. Dealing with first Werner, then Brennan-Johnson and finally Son. Winning headers and being a general nuisance on our corners. Prior to that first goal there was a nice shot of him being an annoying little irritant by picking, in a child-like way, on the keepers right hand. Cheeky but effective.  

Tomi was needed at full-back. He had some support from Trossard. But it was not Trossards day today. He was caught in possession too often and he took too many risks with the ball in dangerous areas. And, arguably, could have given them that all important first goal care of a penalty. But this was payback for the Cedric penalty given by Paul Tierney (and the sending off). Justice served.

We turned up today. Odegaard, Rice, Saka, the defense and, of course, Have-that. We again asserted our title wining credentials. The contrast to this team from last year is dramatic. No drama and all results. There is backbone and craft. Sure, we should have won this 3-0 but a win is a win. Look at Liverpool. Winning Derbies away is not so easy. Let’s see who they call chokers now. Not this team.

A fine week. Winning two London derbies on the trot within 5 days against teams that have had a more favorable schedules is no mean feat. With three games left we could conceivably now win all three matches and still not win the League. I’ve never thought we would win it this year. And City will destroy Sp*rs if they play like they did today. So, I’m not sure there are many instances in which they will drop any points.

Today though we put our ugly, distance, mentally challenged little relative back in their place. We reasserted who was the best football team in England. And the best team in London. We demonstrated that North London was Red, is Red and will always be Red.

-LB7

TOTL. Thank you Chelsea. Thank you Poch and thank you Nicholas Jackson.

When I saw that team sheet I realized two things. The first is that Chelski really does hate Sp*rs. And secondly, that Poch loves Arteta. What a shambles their team selection was.

Where to start this one. After Trossard, yet again, gave is the lead after 4 minutes, you thought the score line could end up like this. But there was a long period leading into the second half where you feared we’d regret all those missed changes. I forgot of course that Jackson is there main striking theat. How abysmal is this guy, thankfully. He is, hands-down, the worst striker I can remember since the wonderful Soldado at Sp*rs. Of course, with that tackle on Tomi, Jackson should have been sent off. He is a shambles of a player and perfectly suited to Chelsea.

With Tomi back in and Partey in the base midfield role Rice was able to shift out to the left. That provided a better balance such that not everything was down the right hand side. However, most of the chances were generated by the triangle of Saka, White and the masterful Odegaard. Today he ruled this match. He exuded joy. He feed passes and split their defense of some many occasions.

Going in only one-up at half time was frustrating. We won the ball high up the pitch – well, often Cheski generously just gave it to us – and we’d find ways to squander the chances. We dominated them and created so many chances I lost count. There was Have-that choosing to pass not shoot, Rice and Odegaard shooting. It was an endless stream. And sometimes their goalie would make a great save. You always worry that you’ll regret these missed opportunities. And there were periods where they would counterattack. And thankfully they (i.e. the aforementioned Mr. Jackson) found way to miss their chances as well.

You feared this might turn into a replay of the Wolves match. You figured they could not be as bad in the second half. They weren’t; they were actually worse. But the nerves started to enter the atmosphere. Anxiety crept in. It was not helped by some sloppy play. And Partey was guilty of numerous sloppy passes and lingering on the ball too long. Yet we also saw times where his simple link up play helped propel the team forward. For example his role in setting up that first goal.

Fortunately, we were able to sneak a Ben White goal to open up this game. Thoroughly deserved and resulting from one of our numerous corners. But nicely finished. And game over. You knew Chelski could not possibly recover. They have no leadership nor backbone. The anxiety dissipated. And our game continue to flow around them.

The third goal though was just majestic. The obvious foul by Gabriel was not called and then Odegaard feed the most exquisite pass through to Have-that. This time he drove directly to goal, brushing off the challenge of their £60m hairy fullback to thump the ball in for our third. That was a picturesque goal. Classic Odegaard and reminiscent of Ozil. The perfectly weighted pass. And the perfect finish.

And then it just because an onslaught. Again, from our right, Odegaard and Saka set up Have-that to get his brace to be swiftly followed by White. It became a procession that allowed us to make all the substitutions we needed ahead of Sunday.  It was good to see Jorginho back out there in place of Partey. But you could see the difference when Jesus replaced Have-that. As often said, Jesus can do everything but score.

We even got a chance to see Zinny get some minutes and for Martinelli to again show how he’s lost his scoring touch. And a miracle happened, we finally saw Saka substituted. Even if it took until the 82^nd minute. This was a much improved performance from him today. He was involved in nearly all our good moves. But he needs time to recover. Let’s see if those 15 minutes help him on Sunday.

Though he did not score, Rice again just crushed their midfield and dominated the play. He liberates Odegaard and pushes himself into many more attacking positions. He’s not quite developed the composure needed to score more goals but that will come with experience. Our midfield today was most likely that Edu and Arteta imagined when the signed Rice. And even though Partey has regressed you can see what the attraction when they brought in Rice.

Then you only have so amusingly look across the pitch at their £200m counterparts – Enzo and Caicedo – to appreciate how easy it is to make the wrong choices. And that’s not even consider the money they sunk into Mudryk. We were so fortunate that Chelski were brainless enough to save us from that one. We certainly dodged a bullet there. In fact with both him and Caicedo.

Consider this, we definitely got the better parts of Brighton. We have Trossard and White for about £70m whereas they have the Hairy left-back and Caicedo for £150m. Three goals versus one yellow-card. It’s hard to know where to start with the amount of money Todd Boehly has squandered way. It’s beyond arrogance to think that by acquiring (supposed) young talent, not even being aware that football is a team game and ignoring the need for senior, on-the-pitch guidance/experience, they could assemble a team like this. But it makes me happy none-the-less. In my dark moments I merely have to think about Nicholas Jackson and all is right with the world. I know supporters of this lot (sorry AJ); you have my long-term sympathies. How you must pine for the days or Roman.

Another clean sheet. I think that’s world-record for us. Or something like that. Score more goals and let in less than anyone. Pretty impressive. But not as impressive as the way we command the pitch, dictate the rhythm and control the game with our high press. We really are a joy to watch – aside from that period in the middle when the anxiety sets in. But surely, after watching us against Bayern, teams should figure that if they can starve our access to Odegaard they could (potentially) shut us down. Instead they let him have the freedom of the park.

So onto Sunday while still TOTL. We just need Everton to dig in now. And, we can rely on Forest to adopt a them against the world attitude. Hopefully they can channel their misplaced anger into a similar performance as they had against Liverpool at home last year. I doubt it. But they can at least make City suffer a little.

We need some luck. We need both of them to drop some points. It’s not much to ask. Just a little generosity ahead of our Sunday encounter with those wankers. As consummate failures they will be entirely motivated by their desire to try and help us fail. We, on the other hand, post Champions league and the Brexit of every other team (aside from Villa) can also put another nail in their aspirations to be in the Champions league next year now that there are only four places.

This is the game of the season for us. This is our most tricky remaining fixture. So, it’s good we were able to make wholesale substitutions today. And we actually have a four day gap which will seem like a long-term holiday for most of the players. But I am looking forward to watching Rice destroy them and for Odegaard to carve them open. And I suspect we’ll see Jorginho return. I don’t know if I can take Partey lingering on the ball for too long. This will be an intense match with a frantic atmosphere. But we go into this match perfectly set-up, two wins on the bounce and still TOTL.

-LB7

TOTL. Again. If only momentarily. After the last week this was the performance we needed. Actually, it was the result that we needed to stay attached to this race.

Though others will see the last week through the eyes of the grim reaper, the performances have not been too shabby. In both games we missed our first half chances and then visibly tired in the second half. Today though, Trossard, who missed that chance against Villa, somehow managed to squeak out an all important toe-poke right at the end of the first half. That was the game changer we needed last week but I’ll take it today.

Prior to that I’d been moaning about how anonymous he’d been up. Or rather ineffective. Unable to really defend and unable to breakout in attack – or place crosses. It’s interesting how Arteta has lent on him rather than Martinelli during this period. I suspect Martinelli is not quite fit. Yet, right at the end of this game we saw a breakaway that Martinelli, care of his speed, jumped on in a way that Trossard would have not. Yet his finish was all too different from Trossards. Maybe that’s why Trossard starts currently.

The team selection is pretty established by now. With so few games left now and every point vital as we chase the City 115 machine, there’s no reason to shake things up.  Clearly a number of players are running on fumes. Saka being the prime example. It’s hard though to put him on the bench. Even on one leg he will both occupy their defense and still generate chances.

Until we fully resolve that left back position the balance of this team will continue to be through our right hand side. That combination of White, Odegaard and one-legged Saka, generates most of our chances and creativity. While we dominated right from the beginning this game, fueled with the accumulated anxiety this week, had that ominous dreadful feeling of us not being able to score. This is just our fear of the past versions of Arsenal revisiting this version. But this version is different. We are somewhere between last years immature version and the mature Invincibles. And closer to the latter than former.

Our defense was as resolute as ever unlike earlier this week. No mistakes – except for the curse of the left-back – and no real attacking threat to deal with. Until Timber is able to return, we will have to endure the defensive vulnerability down the left. I like Kiwior. He’s defensively better than Zinny (though, to be fair, so am I). And at least he’s not a Santos. Their one outright chance, care of our left-back, in the first half was well saved by Raya. Aside from that he barely had a save to meet. And, as a bonus, his distribution was quite reasonable. There I go lavishing praise on Raya again.

Jesus is a fascinating player. We hear that he’s still not quite fit, carrying a knee injury. Yet he roves around the pitch with such energy, linking up the play and working so hard. It’s just a shame he can’t score goals. That’s the one thing missing from his game. It’s just a pity he’s our center-forward. Otherwise he’d be perfect. His pressing and work, in combination with the buzzing Odegaard allows us to apply pressure much higher up the pitch.

Have-that had yet another one of his reserved, quiet but very effective performances. There were two great chances in either half but it’s hard to be critical of either. Aside from that he won headers, was calm and controlled. It’s also nice that he’s got a nasty little edge to him. Don’t let that languid style fool you, he’s not averse to pulling shirts or being a little bit sneaky in his tackles.

I could not see us actually scoring today. We continued to insist on making that additional, unnecessary pass rather than actually shooting. But thankfully Trossard toe changed all that. The second half continued to be one-way traffic. Arteta seemed to unleash both Rice and Have-that. Both wandered over to the right hand side. There was more fluidity and control. Yet, we still lack that second goal.

As the game wore on, Wolves had their moments of control but without any threat. Yet with that scoreline, with our history, the anxiety levels inevitably increase. You’re one Gerrard-like mistake from being out of the race for the league. Thankfully though we have Declan Rice. He was, yet again, immense today. And you could see how exhausted he was. But he functioned on fumes. He is the primary difference from last year. And his effectiveness – aside from the last two games – continues to grow. Today, it felt, for him, was a statement game. He was determined to stop the slide and propel this team forward.

His second half performance was dominant. He was a true box-to-box player today. Dragging himself all around the pitch. It’s that mentality we were missing last year (in addition to a few injured players).  Each game now has the potential to define our season. All we can do is lose the race for the title with one slip-up. We have to win every game now. And there are some difficult ones ahead – and today could have had been one of those. And that’s something we have to embrace. Because that’s the pressure that’s a natural part of wanting to win the league.

Todays performance was mature, calm and reassuring. This was the Arsenal we’ve come to expect. Ok, maybe slightly less exciting than earlier this (calendar) year. In truth, both in the first half against Villa and initially against Bayern on Wednesday, we played like this. The difference is that first goal. And today we found a way. So we did not have to suffer through the second half decay we’d seen of late. That goal provides all the motivation you need. And more importantly, it means you don’t have to go all kamakazi desperately looking for that winning goal – and then leave your self exposed to the counter-attack.

Sure waiting to the last minute of overtime for that second goal seemed a little unnecessary but this was three point well earned. And it leaves us in the race. And, most importantly (rant warning) it avoids others (and, unfortunately, some moronic Arsenal supporters) from accusing us of choking.

I genuinely don’t understand the use of this word. Choking. It’s so emotive. And designed purely to trigger a reaction. Which, of course, what this is. But it’s so illogical. First off you can only “choke” if you’re in the position to actually compete and win something. So, technically, shit mediocre teams that never come close to actually winning anything – you know who I’m referring to – can’t be a choke team. Because. They. Are. Shit.

This word is designed to be inflammatory. It’s designed to instigate. It fails to recognize the reality of those teams that just don’t win. So, by this standard City choked over the last 7 years because they’ve only won the Champions league once. Liverpool are chokers because they only won the league once. But this is clearly rubbish. And technically all the English teams that got knocked out of Europe mid-week are chokers. Well, aside from our Accountant and Villa. You can only “choke” if you can compete. So that counts out that bunch of wankers down the road.

I digress slightly. My point is this word, aside from being insulting, is a distraction. The reality is that it takes time to build a winning team. And failure to win is part of that evolutionary process. That is the journey we are on. And today demonstrated that. Care of Rice and Odegaard, we demonstrated the backbone we arguably lacked last year. That failure helped prepare us for today. That is how teams evolve. It’s not choking it’s maturing.

So let’s review the last week or so. We failed against Villa. Then we arrived in Munich and competed and controlled the game for long period but failed to convert. Bayern, who are an improved version of Porto ,exploited  – in both games – our naivety and nervousness, to use all their years of experience, to find a way to win. That pain we suffered will come in handy next year when we are (hopefully) back in the quarter-finals. The teams we face in Europe are more technical, with some outstanding, world-class players (i.e. Sane) that are able to rest and rotate their players all year long as they are in one or two-horse race leagues. These teams only have to seriously worry about  one other team in their league. They have uncompetitive leagues. Which is why they all want a Super League. But it also explains why we saw the collective aversion to Europe this week. The most recent version of Brexit. The departure of all the EPL title chasers. There’s no coincidence to this.

With just five games left, the next two are the major hurdles. After next Sunday we can revert to a game per week. That will help both Saka and therefore us. We saw over Christmas what happens when we have to play every three days. Arteta does not trust his bench. It’s hard to fault him when that includes Vieira.  I can’t tell you how scared I was when Partey came on. One casual, nonchalant pass away from them equalizing. At this stage of the season there is no rotation. It’s just play your best eleven and suck it up. In five weeks everyone can rest. I just feel sorry for ESR.

As you can tell, I don’t consider the last week to be one of abject failure. Of us “choking”. You’re just not living in the real world if you think you can win every game. It helps that City do not have to live in our world. Check out Liverpool against Palace. It’s how you deal with these setbacks. And today we learned, yet again, that team has the mentality to react and respond. Those fine margins, or toe-nails, just have to go in your favour. And today they did.

TOTL again and now onto Tuesday night.

-LB7

We should have won this game in the first half but instead we lost it in the second. Games like this are inevitable. It just comes at an inopportune part of the season. At least we can comfort ourselves in Villa remaining fourth.

I do wonder whether this was our Fulham moment. Though we can’t now head of to Dubai. It’s Munich instead. That second half performance was reminiscent of Fulham. Leggy, sloppy and tired. We should also, as much as it pains me, give credit to Villa. They dominated the second half. It seemed inevitable that they would finally score. With the first half effort from Watkins that somehow hit the post and spun out and then the second half Tielmans effort that hit the cross bar and post, you felt it was coming.

In that first half we had a number of chances, whether it was Jesus’s missed header, Saka effort and Have-that running through a couple of times. We seemed to be playing our usual Arsenal way with Odegaard dominating in midfield orchestrating all of our moves. It seemed inevitable we would score. The defining movement, immediately after that Watkins effort, was when Trossard failed, from 5 yards out, failed to convert and instead Martinez was able to stick out a foot. As aggravating as this was it’s worth remembering how often Trossard has scored for us while being in that position. Shit happens. And today it happened to us.

It’s the contrast from the first to second half that was so dramatic. Arteta, who’s selection has been so good lately, changed up the balance of the team. Trossard got the nod over Martinelli but Have-that returned to left mid-field. In the first half the selection did not seem to impede us. Have-That made a number of penetrating runs while Jesus continued to work back and provide defensive cover.

Again, most of our creativity was down the right hand side with Saka and White working with Odegaard. It felt like we missed the breakaway speed in that final third. We would see Jesus and Have-that breakaway but not be able to separate from the defenders. Villa, who were wasting time from the first minute, continued to play out from the back and put themselves under immense pressure. It just seemed like we were destined to take the lead.

As we’ve seen before, of course, this though was a game of two halfs. And in the second half Villa were superior, the better team and controlled the game. We seemed off the pace, tired, somewhat sloppy and unable to convert any chances we had. Villa had the bulk of the possession and, most telling, we would lose all the second ball challenges. That’s the sloppiness we saw. But I suspect that came from tiredness. Sure, they also had a European match on Thursday and we had 48 hours more recovery time. But we largely have been using the same set of core players. Anyway, this had all the makings of a second half car crash.

And crash we did. After Zinny had made his customary mistakes, they were able to convert after the second phase of one of their numerous corners. While we had chances to get out of defense and had resisted the initial corner, we were suspectable to that second phase of the attack. White could have done better, Gabriel could have intercepted, Raya was caught in non-mans land and Rice was asleep at the back post. While none is entirely responsible, that’s too much collective loss of focus.

That second goal though was reminiscent of what happened against Bayern mid-week. In that instance, White was able to come back and recover. But this time as much as ESR tried, he’s no defender. And Watkins, who was impressive the entire game, wonderfully converted. It’s fair to say if he was playing for us, we’d surely have converted some of our chances. But the point here is that for the second time inside a week we over committed and left ourselves exposed. You just can’t afford to do that. And you have to be able to learn your lessons. Not that I felt we’d have even score an equalizer at 0-1. It’s more that we have to be able to learn from our mistakes.

I’m sure there will be some attention on Zinny today. I thought, defensively, he was a liability. He makes too many mistakes, passes in the wrong areas and fails to win important tackles and, in possession, he can linger on the ball for too long. To be clear, again, he was not the reason we lost. We lost because of our collective disintegration in the second half. Odegaard was non-existent, Saka barely touched the ball and Rice was largely anonymous.

You could see why Arteta made the changes he did. Not that they helped. And, I was surprised then White rather than Zinny came off. But we lacked our composure, rhythm and style. A large part of that has to go down to Villa and their accountant. They adjusted at half time and we did not know how to respond.

As disappointed and pissed off as I am it’s hard to get angry at this team. They have been so good for so long and such a pleasure to watch. And today, in the second half we just sucked. But, and I just checked on this, it’s not the end of the world. That only happens if that lot ever win the League. So, nothing imminent on that front.

The challenge now will be how we recover from this. Not just against Bayern but also against Wolves. Unlike Fulham, there is no recovery time. And the cloud of last year will reappear with the related fears about us fading away. But this is not last year. Der. We are a better team with better players. It’s just about whether we have the mental strength to respond.

What did make me angry however was the camera usage of the TV director. Today was an aggravating as I can remember. The number of times the camera lingered on a player with close up shots while the play was ongoing. Or the frequency with which they showed replays when the game was ongoing is so fucking annoying. We are tuned in to watch the game. Let us watch it. It’s ruins and detracts from the game. Rather than being absorbed in the rhythm and flow of the game we’re being forced to watch though this endless, tiresome “artsy” view of the game. Sure, I’m concerned about the creeping usage of VAR in the game. But, for me, this inept match director selection of various camera angles is much more frustrating. At least with VAR you know, at some point (and we’re seeing that in general) it will improve. But these camera shots are just getting more obtuse and destroying the viewing experience.

Ok, now back here on planet earth, as I’ve said, we should expect shitty days. We’ve not had one in a while. And today was certainly one. But it was a collective one. It was not down to an individual players. This was a collective failure – including Arteta. So, as I’ve profoundly said already, shit happens. It’s how you respond that counts. All is not lost. Just look at Liverpool. We have always known that City with their depth of squad and experience (and their pending 115 financial charges) were the likely favourites. But even they are likely slip up at some point. Hopefully.

What counts now is checking on the fitness of Saka and Odegaard and taking a breath to reset and refocus. We can’t be that aimless and disjointed again – I hope. Rather, we should be gathering ourselves for the mighty task ahead of us. This has been a better season than last year and it’s not yet over. There is no pre-ordained expectation that we should come out of this with a trophy. But we should expect a reaction and a response.

-LB7

TOTL. Again. Another 24 hours at the top before United implode yet again.

Today was such an impressive performance. Against a genuinely dangerous team that has not lost at home since August we were in complete control.

More changes after Luton. Jesus, Rice along with Jorginho and Saka returned. And so did our smoothness. This team just dominated Brighton and made them look quite ordinary. Let’s hope when City play they rediscover some form.

It took a while to breach their defense but we had chances from the 2^nd minute onwards when Gabriel headed wide with the goal open. But whereas in previous years where you’d worry that that was “the” chance, today we just continued to create.

At the center of it all was Odegaard orchestrating and Have-that wondering around, linking up and creating. Our movement was incisive and quick. Our passing was sharp. And Brighton had no real response. Once the game settled down there seemed an inevitability about the outcome.

Even with the squandered chances you just felt eventually we’d put one away. Jesus was a constant nuisance on the left and, importantly, provided cover for the vulnerable Zinny. I thought it was brave to play him against Brighton and he looked susceptible to a mistake. Defensively he seemed too exposed and prone to lapses in concentration. Thankfully though Gabriel also knows this and seems to know to cover for him. As much as Zinny helps us going forward against a team with a real winger you just can’t play him. The sooner we get Timber fit the better.

Jesus missed a couple of great chances before he was brought down by Lamptey for a penalty that Saka converted. Saka clearly benefited from his little rest. Along with the White/Odegaard combination they terrorized the right hand side of their defense. Saka could and should have also scored when he cut inside but overall he looked so much fresher. And it was good to see him brought off early as well.

The Jorginho and Rice axis was again in complete control and provided any protection the defense required. Not that they were that troubled. With our old friend Welbeck in their front line there was little danger that he would be able to score against us. But Enrico on their left is a little tricky but White had him under control. And Saliba and Gabriel dominated at the back. And from their corners White seemed to win every header. I’m not sure that Raya actually had a real save to make today. Again. That is a testament to the blanket coverage this defense provides. And yet another clean sheet – and that’s with Zinny at left back.

We’ve scored more goals than anyone and also let is less goals; with the largest number of clean sheets. That’s a remarkable statistic. For a game where we should have been 2-0 up inside the first twenty minutes it never felt like we’d let our chances slip.

The second goal was vital to creating some breathing space. As against Luton, through our high press we won the ball back high up the pitch. Thereafter it was a goal made by our ex-Chelsea friends. And there was Have-that at the near post to receive the Jorghino pass to nicely slot the ball away. Have-that really has been on fire for the last 7 games. Our run has coincided with his rise to prominence. He now seems to have owned that false 9 position.  

With Have-that upfront, that enables Jorginho to play at the number 6 and Rice in the number 8. Which means we apply a high press more consistently. And that usually starts with Odegaard who seems to have found additional reserves of energy to propel him forward through the entire 90 minutes.

After that second goal we sat back and absorbed some of their pressure without them actually getting a shot on target. And then we broke away, care of yet another assist from Have-that. I figured Trossard would run out of steam charging up field. But with the ungrateful Brighton fans booing him on, he delicately chipped their goalie to put the result beyond any doubt. And also further increase our goal difference.

This was a complete performance today. Brilliantly executed. Throughout we exuded a calmness and confidence that we just did not see last year. In addition to the interplay and control of the ball we have a grit and backbone that supplements our creativity. And this was no better demonstrated than the reaction of Gabriel and his teammates to his block of one of their few shots in the 80^th minute. It was as though he’d scored himself.

Last year Gabriel (like Zinny now) seemed prone to at least one moment of madness per game. And his distribution – whether long or short – was inconsistent. At the start of this year he was even, initially, dropped to the bench so that Partey could play right back. Thankfully that experiment was terminated. Since then, as smooth and skillful as Saliba has been, and as much as Saliba has, rightly attracted all the plaudits, it’s really Gabriel that has developed the most.

This year, in addition to his four goals, he seems to have irradicated those mistakes of previous years. His distribution – because of the availability of Rice – is more consistent and his defensive play has irradicated those careless or clumsy fouls. In terms of the most important players to this team, I know Gabriel will not rate in the top 4 (after Rice, Saka, Saliba and Odegaard) most important players but his improvement is pivotal to our defensive stability.

Even though Brighton was a much more daunting task than Luton, in many ways, this was, yet again, a relaxing watch. No stress. No anxiety. No drama. Even with our missed opportunities. That is the measure of this team. It is a pleasure to watch their development and evolution. They really have developed into a mature, controlled and exciting team to watch. And this all seems to have come together since the break in Dubai. Unlike last season where we started strong, led the league and then notoriously faded, this year we seem to have reversed the order. We are proving it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.

So, back to TOTL. Unfortunately, as Liverpool have to play that shambles that is United, it’s likely to be only temporary. And with City having the easier run-in, the odds are still against us. The European matches might now dictate where the title goes. Let’s hope that City can overcome Madrid to keep them engaged on the Champions League even they have a clear history of being able to win both at the same time. But we need them to pick up a few more injuries. Preferably to KDB. And as for Liverpool, let’s just pray they only manage a draw tomorrow. Unlikely though that is.

Bayern at home on Tuesday could be a nice distraction. In some ways this will be easier than playing Porto. Bayern will at least attempt to engage us. And with Partey and ESR rested they should be able to contribute some important minutes. But my focus will remain on the Villa home match. And at least Douglas Luiz is now ineligible. We just need McGinn to be injured. This will be another difficult challenge for us and would, unfortunately, help that lot get closer to the Champions League. But I suppose it’s more important for us to win. Just.

So enjoy the next few hours as we return to TOTL. We deserve it. This is far beyond my expectations at the start of the year. And unimaginable after that loss at Fulham. And while I’m still unconvinced that we can win the league it’s important to enjoy each and everyone of these victorys and recognize that this team is for real. And we’re still a few years away from being in our prime. How dominant were we today? So dominant that Arteta barely had to break into a sweat. No berating the referee or screaming from the sideline. He can see our patterns of play develop and has increased confidence in this team. As we should all have.

-LB7