Month: November 2022

Fuck Me. We won the pre-WC EPL. Half-way Champions. Guaranteed to be TOTL for another 6 weeks and by a 5 point margin. Who the hell saw that coming at the start of the season? I seem to remember the general consensus being we’d not even make the top 4. It’s by no means guaranteed that we will but we have at least an 11 point margin. Not bad for a team that no-one rated.

Today was just yet another example of what a fine team we’ve developed into. Though not entirely at the races today we were sufficiently smooth and in control to deservedly beat a reasonable Wolves team. A team that clearly lacks any forwards that can score. But, you know, that’s their problem.

Our problem today was Xhaka. And it was nothing to do with the referee. Today Xhaka sent himself off. Within 2 minutes he was on the ground and within 15 minutes off the pitch. The cynical might imagine he contrived this exit to protect himself for Switzerland and the WC; to not put himself in jeopardy for the WC. Maybe we’ll find out today once Arteta speaks. It shows how far though we’ve come when losing Xhaka after 15 minutes send waves of concerns through you. How will we survive without him? Especially when it’s Vieira who’s the replacement. Three years ago everyone wanted him of this team. And today we have a nervous breakdown when he has to go off the pitch.

Though we controlled and dominated the first half we did not generate too much of a direct threat. They played, as expected, on the fast counter. With Adama, they have a Walcott-like player with about the same natural ball-control. All speed and no coordination or football IQ. That’s Theo Adama. Without Xhaka the majority of our creativity came down the right hand side. Saka, who was not fouled as much as normal, linked well with Odegaard and White. But, like others today, White was just a little off his game. Wayward passes and missed tackles. We even saw one of those no-look back passes from Saliba that went right to their player. This time Gabriel helped bail him out. That, and the lack of ability of their attacker.

The second half seemed to be moving in the same direction. We dominated and they had a bank of 4 and 5 defending against us. We looked most likely to score on our counter on the few occasions when they threatened. And when we finally scored it came from the unlikely boots of Odegaard as he nipped in from of Saka. Even though Jesus is incapable of scoring he was pivotal in all our play today. His energy level and drive is unmatched. Well, maybe by Martinelli – who started the move for the first goal. It’s unfortunate that Jesus managed to find the crossbar in the first half but he more than made up for it. He has been one of the main reasons this team is at a level we’ve not seen in decades. He works so hard. One time running back, in the first half I think, to dispossess Theo Adama.

Prior to the first goal I had the fear of a 0-0 result. For all our possession, we’d not exactly tested their goalie. We seemed to be playing just a little too slowly. Everyone seemed to be at 95% of their Chelsea level. Zinny was subdued and seemed to miss Xhaka. Partey strolled around but, again, lacking Xhaka, had fewer outlets for his passes. It just all seemed a little ponderous. And then Martinelli went on one of his runs that turned by-passed their midfield to feed Jesus to split their defense for Vieira to suddenly turn up and do the right thing. Finally. And then Martinelli won back the ball and feed Zinny that lead to Odegaard closing out the game with his second. Jesus and Martinelli were the catalysts though neither scored. And all from the left-hand side.

And then it was a controlled, walk in the park. It’s amazing how relaxing it is watching this version of Arsenal. No dramatics, no self-destruction. But, rather, a defense built around the magisterial Saliba and gritty Gabriel.  They are young enough to be making mistakes but talented enough to be shutting down most players. And behind them we have the grinning Ramsdale. Just one or two saves today. But he inspires confidence and he exudes personality and energy.

Who knows whether we can win this league. The squad still feels too slim. An injury to Partey, Jesus, Saka or Xhaka would throw a serious spanner in the works. And we’ve not played Man City yet. Let’s hope our games are squeezed between their champions league away matches. But this is a team that is a pleasure to watch. No one can deny that Arteta has worked wonders with this squad. Both by jettisoning the excrement – David Luis, Mustafa, Kolinsac etc – but by molding the youngest squad in the EPL into a team that leads by 5 points (thank you, Brentford). The last time we had a group this young was in one of Wengers rebuilds. Players like Wilshire, Fabregas, Gibbs, Ramsey, Bellerin. But even the great AW was unable to build such an effective team as the one we have today. The only experience we have is Partey and Xhaka. Though in Jesus and Zinny we added EPL winners. My assumption is that come the January window we’ll add a couple more youngsters. At the same time last year we took the opportunity to dump OhBameyang but not replace him and, arguably, tire in the final stretch through a lack of squad depth. Has Edu learned that lesson? Kroenke is clearly not afraid to spend money. And Edu has spent is wisely. So you have to believe they understand that they have an actual chance now. And therefore, they must attempt to bring in depth. But not some random wanker that looks good. We’ve seen that before (remember Kim Kallstrom?).  

This team has completely exceeded expectations. Not just in terms of results but also in the quality of their football. There is no other team that is as enjoyable to watch. Even more so than ManCity. And who saw this coming. Those brilliant performances against Liverpool, Chelsea and Sp*rs. Along with numerous away wins that in previous years we’d had found ways to implode. The recovery after the referee induced loss at Man U. The consistency and dependability of Partey. And the tactics of Arteta. His systems, his belief and his choices. Who would have guess we’d end up with White at right back and Tomi at left. And who would have imagined that Southgate reads this blog and decide to take my advice and include White in the WC squad. Sure, he’s (Southgate not White) too stupid to play him so I’m sure White won’t actually kick a ball in the WC. But at least he’s there to keep Ramsdale company on the bench. How Pickford can still be deemed the starting goalie is beyond me. Ramsdale is the best English goalie I’ve seen this year. By a wide margin. He had another clean sheet today. I wonder how many Pickford has had? If he’s had any. And if you want a goalie to play out form the back you don’t want Pickford or Pope.

Anyway, we are TOTL. And with a buffer. Amazing. All we can do is hope that Ghana get eliminated in the group stage whereas Portugal and Belgium get to the semi-finals. Of course, there’s a chance England might also sap Saka’s energy. But, maybe, this competition will provide him with further exposure and then protection from our refs when he returns.

This is as good as I’ve seen us since the late 2000’s prior to the Eduardo assault that ruined his career and our hopes for that year – though we did have the primadonna Gallas on the team. But we play better football. Of course we also have an abundance of youth. So, I still maintain the view that we won’t win the league (even though I fervently pray for this) but with the points cushion is mandatory that we qualify for next years Champions League. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to lose against Brighton so we don’t have to worry about that stupid competition. What is the point of a match if it’s not televised? I mean, what is up with the organizers of this shambles if people can’t watch the game? Where will the money come from if not from the TV? What is the point. None. So that saves us an unnecessary game. And leaves Man City having one more. Not that we should forget about Newcastle. It’s remarkable to see what £200m+ can buy. A goalie, two defenders, two midfield players and two attackers – at least. It’s nice to see Willock thriving but no-one else. And they will pile in yet more money as well.

We now have six weeks to enjoy our deserved and elevated status. Winners of just about ½ an EPL trophy. And ½ way to the Champions League. And now put into suspended animation while we all are forced to watch the corrupt WC instead of the continuation of my birthright. The EPL. Sure, I’ll watch. What else am I supposed to do? I just wish some of the teams would take off their shirts to display t-shirts that would scream about the corruption of FIFA; the criminality of the event being held in the middle of nowhere in the middle of our season. But I’m just dreaming. Maybe someone will mention LBGT+ or other issues that FIFA deem to be unworthy of discussion. Maybe FIFA will also send me a strongly worded letter. Man, they can be tough when they want to be. Those letters sure are threatening. At least the UN have an inner council that can veto the more stupid ideas. At FIFA there is no idea that is too stupid. No more than this WC. So, please enjoy your next 6 weeks. And let’s all pray for the health of our players and let’s also worship our manager. The true successor to AW. Arteta has created wine from water. He has created a team for the ages. I have not had as much fun watching Arsenal since my kids were so young that I actually still liked them. Assuming I ever did. And that’s not clear to me.

Anyway. Here we are, TOTL. And we will when we resume. TOTL.

-LB7

TOTL. Again. No luck with this one though. Thoroughly deserved. This was men against boys. And the boys won. Sure, by one goal only. But if the judges were giving marks for presentation, artistry, skill, teamwork, cohesion and style it would have been a whitewash, a clean sweep, a knockout. And we’re not the finished product by a long way. And they definitely looked like they were, Finished that is. But not a product.

Where to start? Partey would be a good place. Smooth, dominant, uncomplicated and with no wayward shots into row Z. This is why he’s so important for us. He liberates Odegaard and Xhaka. He protects the defense and links the rest of the team. Unlike against Forest this lot tried to get close to him but he won every tackle, broke up every attack and was the springboard for every attack (well, ok, maybe not every attack).

Next would be the artist formally known as Arteta. How does he decide to play Zinny rather than Tierney? I mean, this poor man has been fighting on the Russian front for a month or so. Sure, they say it was an injury but we know the truth. How else can you explain that vicious haircut. It seemed, after being on the bench but not playing on Thursday that he would get some minutes at the end of this game to reintroduce himself. But instead Arteta went all-in and started him. And right from the of you could see the difference he made The good old inverted fullback added yet another dimension to this team. Of course I love the two Ts – Tomi and Tierney – but our Ukrainian elevates the team. As long as his fit and not fighting on the northern front, he will start.

This team improves each week. It is gelling and developing. We are not perfect (yet) by any stretch. But we demonstrated the gulf between these two teams. They were a collection of players with no obvious strategy or cohesion; they were individuals trying to figure out how to play together. A mess, if you will. They had, maybe, two opportunities (if that) one when Havitz launched the ball into the heavens when OhBameyang was heading to the six yard area. And I can’t think of a save that Ramsdale had to make. I think he had a tougher game against Forest. Chelsea were pretty useless to be honest. I don’t get how they play. There is no way that Sterling fits into this team. And Ohbameyang was pretty sad. He played like he did in our last few games, anonymous and uninvolved. It never made sense for them to acquire him but it clearly made sense for us to ditch him. His time has past. We had Jesus buzzing around destabilizing them and working tirelessly for the team. He might not have scored but he initiated the attack leading to the corner that provide the three points. Chasing down old man Silva to disposes him. What an unbelievable upgrade to this team he’s proven to be. And in this game the contrast could not have been more stark.

Of course, it would have been nice if he could have scored with his header from Martinelli in the first half after the play of the game. From Partey winning the ball as Chelsea vainly tried to attack on the left to the interplay on the edge of our box with Xhaka and Odegaard before progressing out left. The move was quintessential Arteta football. One touch, instinctive, fluent, rapid progression and breathtaking. At some point Jesus will score. I hope.

Going into this game I could not imagine the performance and the result could exceed the pleasure of last year. But this is a superior team against a weakened Chelsea. It’s wonderful to watch the self-destruction of a club fueled by Russian dollars and now being funded by Yankee dollars. All being wasted now by a baseball owner after buying anyone that no-one else wanted – and for double the price. It became quite obvious though that there was only one actual team with a vision of how to play the beautiful game. And one team who knew how to assault and bludgeon Saka. We had the laughable situation where Saka gets booked before the hairy monster even after he’d fouled him numerous times, In fact the card came after he’d been fouled again but the ref chose to ignore. Anyway, he deserved to be kicked if not have his hair trimmed just a little bit. Let’s hope that during the WC Saka will get more protection from the refs – it will certainly help that no English ref will be involved in his games. Gosh, I wonder why there’s only one English ref that’s been appointed? Maybe, somewhere in the bowls of the FA or the referees organization, they are asking that question. They should be embarrassed with the drop in the standards of referring in England.

Anyway, though we took our time to find our solitary goal the defense remained as solid as the Bank of England. Actually, let me revise that. Post Ms. Truss, let’s modify that to being as solid as a third world country with a tinpot leader lying about the benefits of leaving some collective organization, I don’t know let’s say, for shits and giggles, the European Union. Nonetheless, Saliba was imperious again. And Gabriel – with no hair brained mistakes – resolute in his defense. It’s ridiculous to think Saliba is just 21. Silva is literally old enough to be his father. I suspect though, as good as Silva is – he was the only decent player for them – Saliba will rise to greater heights, He is just so dam calm and smooth. And fast. As I’ve said before, the closest I’ve seen to Rio Ferdinand but better. Compare him to the lorry that is Dier or the chin that is Macguire and you can see why this defense of ours is so solid .

Odergaard was still relatively quiet but when he has Xhaka and Zinny there he is still effective if slightly subdued. But I have no complaints. His quick passing and vision helps knit this team together. With Zinny behind him, Xhaka was liberated to help support Martinelli and play even further forward. The balance of this team is so close to being  perfect. It’s just needs a little more time, experience and exposure to a little (but not too much) disappointment. More even than the end of last season.

One of our weaknesses is our lack of depth, We are so dependent on Partey that is was important again to see Elneny obtain more minutes. Likewise Holding, who is no more of a center half than Dickhead Dier, also appear with his forever improving hair. We need ESR to rediscover his groin and also for Nelson to get minutes to help protect Saka And Martnelli can’t play every game. And finally, we need Eddie to score some goals.

We were so superior, such was the domination that there was no need for VAR to intervene. That’s’ two games in a row now. Though some might argue that Forest was more of a challenge. I’m joking (I think).

So here we are, one game from the infernal WC, more than one third of the way through the season and still sitting TOTL. How is this possible? What odds would you have got on that happening? Are we this years Leicester City? Without, that is, the diver Vardy or the smoothly attired self-loving Rogers. Given that it’s the Nordic Wildman from the North chasing us we surely deserve some award already?  Maybe some red ribbons. Because it’s inconceivable we’ll lift the trophy. But then again there is so much joy in watching this team play and appreciating the quality of football. It harks back to the golden years of Wenger. This is the legacy of Arteta. His belief in his own vision and commitment to playing football in the manner we’ve all become accustomed to. None of this dreary cap from that lot down the road. Or from anyone other than Pep. Sure, I’d like to win something (remember he already won us the F A Cup) but I still think we require more time to ferment and mature. Now is not quite our time. But, after this game – having beaten Liverpool, Chelsea and that lot down the road (though it seems that everyone beats them now) – and only losing to United because the ref was an unadulterated wanker, we can consider ourselves worthy. Worthy of being genuine contenders for the Champions League qualification and outside contenders for the title. Not that we’ll win it. We still have to play Pep twice. And, as I always say, we’re only one game away from an infuriating defeat and/or a losing streak and the related fan meltdown. But this team has something special about it. It enjoys its football and it fundamentally understands how to play the game. It’s just that we’re not quite ready yet. We need a little more time and a few more players. Imagine one more summer transfer window where we bring in just two more players of the class of White, Jesus, Zinny or Ramsdale. Which reminds me, how good was White again? How can it be that Southgate ignores him. With players being injured by the week, surely he must make the squad? The chinless one still can’t make the losing United team and Dier continues to make the mistakes that one would expect when you have a tortoise playing center half.

This game exceeded expectations but we still have one more against a possibly rejuvenated Wolves with their new, bright and shinny manager. We are assured of being ahead of everyone aside from Peps boys. But one more victory and we can go into the sand dunes TOTL for all of November. Now that would be nice. TOTL.

-LB7