So, we finally defeated Manchester City. Albeit it on penalties. Albeit an irrelevant contest that no-one will reminder next Saturday. But a victory none-the less.
It turns out Rodri is the new Trump. If he were to walk down 5th avenue and shoot someone, Stuart Attwell would still not brandish a yellow card. In the meantime, Partey was given a yellow card for breathing and Have-that got one because, well, Xhaka was not there to receive one. It really was beyond comprehension given the number of fouls Rodri made. Specifically in the first half when he clearly tugged at Have-that and pulled him back. As clear as daylight. Unless you’re Stuart AttPoor. But let’s not have that that detract from a wonderful day. To snatch victory (meaningless though it was) from defeat against our nemesis was refreshing. If nothing else it should provide the squad with some confidence.
As for the game itself both Eddie and Tierney must be thinking they should have left in the summer. No starts for them today. But it’s hard to see how Tierney gets any playing time. As good as Tommy was when he first appeared from us, Timber reset that bar. He was outstanding today. Note it was only when he went off that the scored down his side. As Zinny has said, this guy could be better than him. He clearly defends better, throwing his body on the line to deflect shots. He was a revelation.
On the other side, with the onlooking England manager watching, White was imperious today. He completely controlled Grealish. White provided great defensive cover with timely headers and up the other end created chances for Have-that. He looked as assured as he did all last season. Great to see him back. It’s a shame that Southgate was only there because he thought McGuire might be playing for one of the teams.
Inside we have Saliba as masterful as ever. He truly is a Rolls Royce. Having him signed to a new contract was one of the best moves we had over the summer. But maybe the best was Rice. He slotted in, worked so hard and added a backbone to our midfield. He’s starting to evolve into that box-to-box player we’ve not had since Ramsey (pre Shawcross broken-leg). Arteta is going to guide this boy to greatness. Alongside him we had Partey who, apart from collection a yellow card for existing, managed to give the ball away in important positions but, at other times, look assured and in control.
Odegaard worked hard, and in periods where we controlled the ball was linking play and dictating the game. Some of his touches and control was sublime.
The front was a little quiet. Saka linked well with White and Odegaard, as they did last season but Have-that and Martinelli were a little quiet. Have-that demonstrated some nice hold up play. Of course, he’ll remembered for those two misses. The first one was tough but he should have scored with that second one. I’m not sure that Jesus would have either. But let’s not forget that Martinelli should have also scored there. But he won’t attract any scrutiny.
City dominated the first 20 minutes. It took time for us to grow into the game. Of course, having AttPoor given them all the decisions did not help. But overtime we found our way back into the game. We looked more assured than last year. You could see the improvement. But City are still pretty impressive. The gap between us though is closing. And we have age on our side. KDB is one hamstring injury away from ruining their season. Though when Foden came on he skinned Partey to initiate their goal. They got a lucky deflection off of Rice and then the newly arrived Tierney gave the ball back back to them.
This was their one time to beat the impressive Ramsdale. He saved us – literally – in this game. That save from Foden was the decider. And he even saved a penalty. As I said the other day, we don’t need Raya to replace him. At a decently low price I’d take him as a backup. But Aaron is our man.
Trossard must be wondering what he needs to do to win a starting place. Because when he came on he provided more options, more incisiveness and ultimately our goal. His instincts, control and poise are unmatched. He has been a true bargain.
So, despite the appalling AttPoor, the reserves beat the first team today. City might, rightfully, be the favourites for the title, but today showed that we, the reserve team, continue to make progress. We continue to close the gap. But we still have to mind the gap. It’s another long season, with Champions League football, but our squad is stronger than ever. So we continue to move in the right direction.
And we already have more trophies this year than that lot down the road have had in the last 15 years. So much to be positive about. Just when we thought it was going to be safe in the post-Dean era, the PGMOL have trained up another Frankenstein. However, we have the comfort of knowing that AttPoor won’t be refereeing all our games this year.
So cometh the end of pre-season. The grown up stuff starts next week. Time for me to put down my pre-season training wheels and gear up for the real thing. I remain excited and nervous. Fearful of the refereeing and intrigued to see Rice and Timber elevate this team. And to see whether Have-that can prosper. We have much to look forward toward. And, as ever, we start the season TOTL.
-LB7