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