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Still TOTL. A nice place to be. And deserved on that performance even if that last ten minutes was more angst filled than it need to be. A good week all in all. A convincing destruction of Lens followed by a blistering start to the game.

This was seemed over after 20 minutes. Wolves are a decent team. Certainly, an improvement on Burnley and Sheffield. However, we dominated and controlled this game much quicker thank those games. Maybe it’s the benefit to actually having our attacking group all back and finally fit.

The only team selection issue was whether Have-That had earned the right to start over Trossard. Unfortunately, there was no debate about who’d start in goal. After Wednesday selection, we can well and truly consign poor Aaron to first the bench and then secondly another team. Rumors this week were that Wolves were interested in him. He deserves – and needs – to play somewhere and it clearly won’t be with us.

The start of this game was much more reminiscent of our play from last year. We tore Wolves apart from the start, sliced through them and were a pleasure to watch. None of the backwards and sideways interchanges were witnessed earlier in the season. And it’s not like they gave us any more room. Saka, care of the support from Tommi, looked more electric; Martinelli terrorized them down the other side. And Jesus linked up all our play.

Jesus was instrumental in both our goals. Playing more like a center on a basketball team, he joined up all our play. Firstly feeding the ball back to Saka and then playing a perfect one-touch pass back to Zinny to set up Odegaard. It’s this type of play that amplifies the intelligence and value he brings to our team. Sure it would be good to see him score more – how can that ever not be the case – but the creativity and movement he provides is not matched by anyone else we have. Maybe Trossard though he seems to prefer to operate on the left.

It was noticeable how much more Tommi overlapped and therefore provided Saka with more options. This liberates Saka and fuels our attack. The only cloud on the day was the injury Tommi picked up. Not that it’s bad to have White being able to replace him. But we need Tommi; he provides cover and competition for both full-backs. We can’t afford for him to be out as we enter the Christmas period.

We really should have put this game away earlier though with a third goal. I thought it would come before half time. And then in the second half, when we seemed to relax, we still created chances. Eddie had a one on one where he hit the post. He has to score that. And we hit the post another time and also Trossard had a difficult chance as well.

Overall it seemed plain sailing. There were a few worrying signs though. As with last week against Brentford, Zinny remains careless in defense. In the first half he made a few mistakes in possession. These were largely unforced errors. And then he proceed to hand Wolves a way back into the game,. Dithering inside our box he handed them a chance. And then the last ten minutes became quite tense. But even then, Raya had very little to do. Throughout the game Saliba and Gabriel controlled the game perfectly. These two are surely the best center-half pairing on the league. And for Arsenal, it’s the backbone of the team. I still have nightmares of the Mustafa and David Luiz combination as well as the Mustafa and Sokratis. Well, Mustafa and anyone would give you nightmares.

And in front of these two we have the majestic Rice. He had already defended their attack when Zinny decided to dither inside our box to give them that goal. As brilliant as Zinny can be going forward, you can see why City were prepared to let him leave. It’s that defensive vulnerability that keeps getting exposed. Which is the reason we brought in Timber. And the reason why we need Tommi to stay fit.

Odegaard was as involved and fluent as he has been in a long time. Hopefully this is him rediscovering his form. With him controlling the game, we looked as smooth and fluent as we have all season; that first 20 minutes was electric. That second goal was beautiful to watch. We just needed that third goal.

Back to Rice though. He was remarkable. How many times did he snap into tackles to break-up their play inside their own half. His reading of the game and anticipation is as good as I have seen. There is no way anyone would have know how good he can be for us. And there is no way we’d be top of the league without him. We should got back and apologize to West Ham for not paying enough for him. We should throw them an extra £50m. He’s worth it. What’s also amazing is that (fingers crossed) he does not seem to pick up yellow cards (or reds). I can’t even remember close calls. Yet he puts in ferocious tackles; he just knows how to time the tackles. And he provides that additional cover to Saliba and Gabriel. And that’s why we’ve conceded fewer goals than any other team. Mustafa must be so envious.

Now we just have to protect Rice. At least we won’t need him to play in that last Champions League game. We can let Jorginho and Elneny carry that one. And maybe see a little more of Nelson and others. But before that we have to play North Arsenal on Tuesday night. That will be tough; we’ve seen Liverpool struggle there. We know it will be physical but we have the team for this now.

Before departing it would be remiss to not comment on the genius ideas emanating out of the great brains of IFAB. Their latest masterful idea is to consider introducing sin-bins. And you wonder why football is in such a fucked up state? Really, when there is madness all around caused by VAR these great minds conclude that the resolution of all the anger and frustration is to introduce yet more stoppages, more subjective rules. And this time to protect the referees – to protect exactly those people most in the glare from the fucked up process and game decisions? That’s like trying to reorganizing the deckchairs on the Titanic just before it hit the iceberg. Or like, deducting Everton 10 points when City have violated 115 rules and have had no consequences.

There is so little referee abuse. Yet this is the problem they want to solve. It’s like a magician waving his hand to distract you from the real trick. With this level of stupidity, I’m surprised it was not IFAB that came up with the European Super League. When the leadership of our game is controlled by a combination of IFAB, PGMOL, FA, UEFA and FIFA is it any surprise that the continue to try and destroy this game. It speaks to the beauty and resilience of this game that they had, so far, failed.

City are likely to destroy the wankers down the road but that will still leave us TOTL for the weekend. So we can sit back and relax. And continue to admire this team. This coach. And this club.

-LB7

TOTL. Again. But surely not for long. This seemed destined to be a draw until Have-that sneaked in at the back post.  The goal cost $65m; money well spent. More than the value of the entire Brentford team.

We waited two weeks for football to resume after another dreary international break and we had to witness a pretty dreary game. Brentford offered little and we offered just a little bit more than that.

Naturally we have to start with poor Aaron. This was like watching a public lynching. The man seemed to disintegrate before our very eyes. He literally oozed uncertainty. All his prior confidence had evaporated. This was a hollowed out Aaron. He did not seem to know whether he wanted to be Aaron in goal or a copycat Raya. Instead, he was neither. At times it was so painful to watch. This guy was, arguably, the core of the team in his first year with us; the soul of this team. Personality and leadership. And here we are now, and it was hard to watch. It was so sad.

Every time he received the ball Brentford pushed up to pressure him and he was riddled with indecisiveness. From basically complete control of a somewhat dull game, Aaron created their best opportunities. The first one was like watching, in slow motion, a trainwreck. You could see it develop but could do nothing to stop it. Thankfully though we had Rice there to save the day – and his career. If that goal had gone in it could have been terminal for Ramsdale.

Even after the first instance of dithering on the ball he then proceeded to have a mid-throw change of mind and ended up gifting the ball back to them. And all in the first half. Ironically, when Arteta brought Raya in, he famously claimed that, in addition to there being a goalkeeper rotation, he (Arteta) had often regretted not being able to change his goalkeeper during the game. This was the game in which he should have made a change because Aaron was a liability in that first half.

The second half was less painful. But then most of the time Aaron just played it long. Their no-name goalie looked to try and emulate Aaron when he nearly gifted one to Eddie. Apart from that, Aaron seemed to calm down in that second half. Which begs the question. Why did he perform like this? It’s pretty obvious. This was a disaster of Artetas making. From the moment we had the reality distortion of claiming there was a goalie rotation, Aaron quickly figured out there was no belief in him. Raya is the goalie of the future Arsenal and there is no place for him. If there was ever any doubt, then the news leaked just before the game that Arsenal will pick up the Raya option to sign him for £27m in the summer. Just in case Aaron thought he could put in a performance to show everyone that he should be the #1, AFC managed to further undermine his dwindling confidence.

This, in all likelihood, will be the last time we see Arron play for Arsenal. I don’t know I could take another performance like this. That first error was so egregious – it’s just remarkable that Brentford could not manage to score. Against any decent team we’d have been 1-0 down. And you know that every other team will now target him. Of course, I feel so sorry for Aaron. He did not deserve this. He’s been undermined by our own staff and put in a lose-lose situation. And, Aaron lost. Next year I could see him playing in goal for Brentford.

At least though we had Rice. He is the fulcrum of this team. He is the difference. Saka and Martinelli continue to create down the wings, Jesus flutters around. The defense remains solid – even though they were barely tested today. But the difference compared to last year is Rice. When you think back to the bleating about the size of the transfer fee, you now realize how fortunate we are. He provides the platform for everything good about this team. And, as Super Rice, he can also cover for Aaron and clear balls off the line. Today, again, he was the best player on the pitch.

Saka’s performance has waned of late. As much as a love Tomi, I think the absence of White has impacted Saka. The balance on our right is just not there without White. Tomi is an effective defender and a talented player but he does not have the attacking, overlapping instincts of White. And I think that makes it harder for Saka to find space as White is not there to drag one of the defenders away from him.

Odegaard is also suffering from the lack of White. As captain, he seems to be able to convey Arteta’s message on the pitch but he’s not really asserted himself. And did not today. Most of our creativity came down our left. Zinny seemed to be a little bit less inverted than normal. But he feed Martinelli, who looked our most promising outlet. And then Trossard continued to float around the pitch. He was not always able to track back but does have a good rapport with our two Brazilians.

As quiet as Saka was though he created both instances in which we got the ball in the net. The first one, I suppose, was off-side, but by a toe-nail. I just don’t understand why it took VAR so long to rule it out. It really does not inspire confidence when it takes this long; it’s feels random. Once you saw the lines, it made more sense. But why can’t this be automated. It really does take away the fundamental enjoyment of watching games and celebrating any goal when you’re left in suspended animation as the grinch of VAR runs its eye over every facet of a goal.

Thankfully in the second instance the goal stood. Have-that finally had his moment of glory. Saka had swung over a few of those crosses in the second half for Martinelli. Each time there was a little panic in their defense. But Martinelli is not going to win headers. The substitutions worked again today. Eddie, though he made a few mistakes was more involved that Jesus. And Have-that linked up play well and then delivered the most important header of the game; care of Saka.

As Brentford offered nothing, we deserved to nab the three points. But it was a little painful to watch. Especially with Aaron. At the games end our players all flooded around him. I think mainly out of sympathy. He is clearly loved by everyone at Arsenal. Apart that is from our goalkeeper coach and Arteta. I think the also realized this was likely his last game for us.

So, we return to the top of the table. And yet we’ve still not found our rhythm of last year. Today we were just a little ponderous and lacking an established pattern of play. Unlike last year, we have the defensive solidarity we lacked but maybe at the expense of our creativity. And, unlike last year, no-one can accuse us of peeking to early. If we were only able to get Partey back to then have our ideal midfield of Partey-Rice-Odergaard. But I suspect we won’t ever see that happen. But at least for the next two games we know we won’t have to suffer watching Vieira.

It’s important for us to be able to eke out wins such as this. Away at Brentford has been the type of venue where, in prior years, we’d have lost let along alone drop two points. Today was another sign of our incremental progress. Less scintillating but equally important. We dominated for large periods of this game. And, in that last 15 minutes, once the substitutions had been made, it was wave after wave of attacks. It just never looked like we’d score. Until Have-that turned up at the back-post.

Before looking ahead though let’s review the only item of significance from the last two weeks. How is it possible for the inept FA (along with their incompetent PMGOL) to deduct 10 points from Everton? Are they too stupid to realize the impact of this decision? How we will all now naturally look in aghast at the clear distortions at Man City and Chelsea and struggle to understand how it is they are avoiding any retribution for their financial sins. Of course, their cases are separate and distinct. And City have not admitted to them. All 115 of them. But, surely the FA must realize we now expect some action on this front. To have set the threshold at 10 points and combined with the speed of this decision has now created a rod for their own back regarding these two other teams. The longer this now drags on the more the reputation of the FA will get dragged into disrepute. Given that their reputation is already a shambles if they delay too long or capitulate to City, they will end up with the same credibility as FIFA.

I feel a little sorry for Everton. Not that I’m against them getting relegated. But their sin was a mere £20m whereas City – and Chelski – have engineered financial doping at the most extreme levels. Maybe the impending Independent Government Regulator is finally causing the FA to finally focus on these cases. But if Everton are the only team penalized then it really will be beyond a joke and will just make a mockery of the corruption in our game – which must be, finally, rooted out.

In the meantime, we have Lens during the week. It would be nice to win this one and finally put the group stage to rest. As we need to rest Rice and others. There are too many important games ahead and too few players that we can truly rely on. With Partey and ESR unavailable, we need to protect the spine of our team. And the best way to do that is to be able to rest players for the final group game.  At least we won’t have to suffer any stupid international games until March. We can focus on the league. We need to watch out for Liverpool as well as City. But this will, as last year, depend on our performances in March and beyond. So, we have time to find our rhythm. But in the meantime, it’s sure nice to be back where we belong. TOTL.

-LB7

How we will miss Burnley and Sheffield United. Another three points though we had to work harder for them this time. After the injustice of Newcastle it was refreshing to get back to winning ways in advance of yet another meaningless, useless, tedious International break of two weeks. It’s really disruptive to the rhythm of this league and I can’t fathom why the FA put up with this – let alone the rest of Europe. Just as the season feels like it’s building some momentum we have to stop again. At least we’re free of this rubbish until March.

It does have the slight benefit that our injured players can hopefully recover their fitness. Not Partey. But more on that later.

Burnley are more talented than Sheffield but the game felt pretty similar. It took just one moment to prize them open care of Trossard bouncing off the post after the soaring Saka won a header in the box. There was a sense of inevitability about this. However, they managed to sneak one in. And one I could not blame Raya for. Though I’ll ponder on that and see if there’s an angle I’m missing.

Trossard was so good throughout the game. It took him a while to get going but once he did he was involved in all things creative. Without Odegaard to pull the strings we were dependent on him and the resurgent Zinny. All complemented but the perpetual motion of Martinelli. Saka was a little subdued. But then his support system of White and Odegaard were missing.

Are we the new Stoke? Or Bolton? The number of goals originating from corners is so unlike us. Maybe we’ll sign Rory Delap and start on the long-throws. Their goalie – who was so impressive in the U21 Euros this summer – was found wanting on both corners – especially the first one. Once Saliba soared to head our second goal I held my breath waiting for VAR to find some criminal office that would deprive us. A three minute gap in between their equalizer and us restoring the lead was extend of any angst in this game. I believe that was the first goal Saliba has scored since Palace at the start of last season.

Then Zinny rounded off a performance we’d not seen from him since last year with a graceful strike into the top corner. That secured the three points and allowed the substitutions to rain in. Of course, our boy Vieira found a way to pull off an Eddie tackle to get himself sent off the pitch just after coming on. At least that removes him for three games. That should give Have-that even more time to adjust. Aside from missing a header from the corner in the first half he still seemed subdued. We have to remain patient with him but the two of them don’t exactly inspire great confidence.

Of course Rice sets the benchmark quite high for new signings. He continues to excel and dominate this team. Without the rest of the midfield we are so fortunate to have him bind this team together. He must be the best midfield player in the EPL at this point. Which brings us back to the partyless Partey. He’s missing inaction now until next year. I think I could get fit in that time. He seems fated to spend at least half the season in the stands. When he’s actually healthy, he’s an absolute star. His style fits our team perfectly. And to have him alongside Rice improves the team tactically and technically. Today, against inferior opposition, Jorginho more than adequately filled in that role. But against teams not rooted to the floor of the table, we need someone with more pace and stamina.

And we are now so suspectable to further injuries. I’m fearful of even suggesting what might happen to us if Rice is suspended or injured. We have Mo on the bench and then the cupboard is bare. It would seem that we will have to dip into Kroenke’s pockets again come January. Because even if Partey is fit by then, he’ll be off to the ACN for the month of January. And then inevitably he’ll come back injured.

As improved as this squad is, it’s hard to find suitable backups for players like Odegaard, Saka and Partey. Of course, we have one in goal. But it seems poor Aaron is destined to never play for us again. Raya had nothing to do against Burnley. But at least Southgate, who still refuses to pick White, will stick by Aaron so maybe he’ll get minutes for England instead of us. Lucky I’m not bitter about Raya. Oh, any maybe he won’t be able to play in our next game against Brentford because of the loan agreement. So, finally, we can see Aaron play again – and then summarily dropped again.

Tomi was impressive at right back until he got roasted prior to their solitary goal. Once we went down to 10 men he got tested more. But having him fit and available is also key for us. He is one of our secret weapons. He can play anywhere. Well, apart from goalie. As Raya has that one locked down.

These are the games where ESR should have been playing. We miss him. I hope he does not end up like our Jack. Always hurt. Though with Jack that was because he played too many games when he was younger and, also, never received protection from the refs.

Now we have two weeks of nothing. I will miss this team. I enjoy watching them stroll around and control games. They continue to develop. We just need to protect our players until we can add to the squad. Poor young Saka looks like he could use some time away from useless Internationals. He is crucial to this team but seems like he running on fumes currently. He should be wrapped in cotton wool and protected rather than wasting his talents on England.

We are sufficiently close to City in the table. They are there though without KDB. We can’t afford any real injuries in our midfield now. Or up front. Without Jesus, Partey and Odegaard we are vulnerable. So let’s hope everyone returns from international duty unscathed. Martinelli is someone who also looks on the edge of re-injuring his hamstring. But I fear he’ll be playing for Brazil.

For the next ten days we should each be praying to our respect gods for them all to return healthy. Enjoy the break. I’m already bored by this disruption. Time to get into my time machine and jump forward to the Brentford game.

-LB7

What’s the point? And what is a point? Two questions. Both of which can’t be answered. All we’ll talk about is VAR and it’s inconsistency. How it’s introduction is causing more controversy. This was a game that should have ended nil nil. We should have earned a point. How much will that point hurt us? How much will the additional 2 points benefit Newcastle?

This was a gritty, physical game. Have-that, on another day, with another referee could have got a straight-red. It was not worthy of one but still. Jump in like that and you take your chances. But then Bruno runs past Jorginho and elbows him intentionally in the head. Clear as day light. The ref has no ability to see this but VAR can easily review this and bring it to Atwell’s attention. This is what VAR is supposed to be there for, right? Bruno, who acted liked a complete twat the entire game. He was more Anthony than Odegaard today. Bruno was petulant and violent. A performance Anthony would be proud of. And this elbow was so clearly intentional and unnecessary but clear as daylight. And yet VAR chose not to do anything?

It’s not the technology it’s the people using it. Maybe we need AI in VAR. Because we need something to correct for the unaccountable mistakes that continue to be made. Referees at at least an excuse that  they have to make split second decisions while running up and down a field with the crowd screaming at them – along with the players and managers. The VAR assistants are sat in a nice snug office somewhere in middle England. They have the technology, the time and the resources to make the correct decisions. Yet time and again they fail.

As the quality, speed and standard of football continues to evolve and improve the standard of refereeing continues to go in the opposite direction. Of course, the same technology provides more scrutiny of their decisions. So when will this change? What will it take for a complete review and analysis of the standard of our refs? And how do we improve the decisions we all have to suffer under. Because, as we stand, it’s underming the credibility of the games, the results and detracting from the enjoyment of the game. And, it’s not accountable. You know it’s not accountable because it just continues merrily along the same path with the same people offering the same platitudes. In any other business the shareholders or owners would have changed their business model or gone out of business. But here the FA allow the PGMOL to continue to drive the car full of players and fans right off the cliff.

And that was just the Bruno elbow. As for the goal itself. That’s a hattrick of decisions that went against us. I don’t see how the first one is even under debate. The ball was out. End of story. We saw this excact same thing impact Manchester United at home. The ball was out and the goal was cancelled out. So how was this not disallowed. I don’t care what anyone says, we could see it clearly with our own eyes.

Then Gabriel was clearly pushed in the back by JoeLinton. Every goal is checked right? We could all see the hands on his back pushing Gabriel. Was Gabriel already going down? Who knows. Who cares. He was pushed. And then Gordon was clearly in an offside position ahead of Raya. How can they claim any of these decisions were not clear? To everyone watching they were clear. Were they just scared of making the right call? You can’t blame Atwell. But you have to blame the VAR officials.

Of course, this all obscures the fact that Raya completely flapped on the cross. He should have punched or palmed that away. How does he miss this? Though his distribution was better today that’s yet another mistake. And this one cost us two points. But there’s no way Aaron is going to replace him. Not unless Raya has both arms and legs amputated. And even then, he’d be pushed out there with a wheelchair.

I’ll try to look beyond the incompetence of VAR (amd Raya) and focus on the other elements of this game.

We matched them physically and were clearly not outplayed. It was an even match generally with neither side actually testing either keeper. Our defense was rock solid. Having Tomi at left back helped nullify their little Peruvian. Gabriel was physically up to the task (aside from when getting pushed in the back) and Saliba was even more impressive than normal. And White was as reliable as ever.

In front of him Rice was outstanding. He was the best player on the park. There are times when I wonder whether Rice will realize he’s the best player on this team. Same as when he was at West Ham. Though we are clearly better than them, at some point he’s got to wonder whether he should be on Real Madrid. This boy is remarkable. His ability to recover, his ability to truly run box-to-box, is superior to anything we’ve had since the glory days of the real Vieira. Both Rice and Saliba are of a different class. We will need to achieve great heights to retain both of them. That’s not a worry for now but for a couple of years from now.

Without Odegaard we lacked creativity. Jorginho was able to provide cover for the defense and link the back-line, Rice made some lung-busting runs but there was no-one to unlock Saka. Martinelli worked hard and most of our threat came down our left but there were very few chances. As such Eddie, who worked hard closing them down and generally put in a very decent shift, saw no really opportunities today. Saka was as uninvolved as I can remember.  

Unlike prior appearances at St. James Park, this team turned up. They fought for the right to play, possessed the ball for long periods but just lacked that slice of luck. We won numerous corners and stood-toe-to-toe with them. As the game worn on I figured we’d wear them down and nick a goal. Instead VAR decided to award them one.

Then we started to rotate the team and bring on more of a threat. Except that included my friend Vieira who would not threaten a defenseless mouse. He’s not exactly the player we need when we’re chasing a game. Zinny helped provide additional momentum and Have-that moved more centrally but we still could not – aside from one Rice header – really threaten their goal.

This is a game that will live in infamy because of VAR. But we also have to look at ourselves. Without key players such as Odegaard and with Saka off his usual standards we really only had Martinelli to cause havoc. Trossard was unable to have an impact – though he has in the past. And Nelson remained on the bench.

As we know this is a long season. One loss – as distasteful as it was – won’t determine the outcome. Of course, it removes the margin for future errors. There is a lot right about this team. But it’s still a few pieces short of being able to win the league. This match though will help fuel the sense of injustice. When we go to Anfield and City we need to bottle this feeling and take it with us.

In the meantime, all we need to know about this game is VAR 1 Arsenal 0.

-LB7

Well, that was easy. So easy in fact. As easy as any match I can remember. Sheffield were shit. Truly non-existent. I don’t know what happened to that team that battled United and nearly defeated the wankers down the road.

Today they barely made it out of the changing room. I don’t think Raya – who should not have been playing – had a single save to make. Even when we took the lead they did not change their approach. I thought Luton would be the worse team in this league. Sheffield look like they will challenge them. They could even be worse than the Derby and Sunderland teams that were relegated years ago. Sheffield could be relegated before Christmas.

Today we saw rotation. In nearly every position apart from the goalkeeper. I’m Sure Aaron will play in the stupid cup game against West Ham. And, I’m sure, come the end to the season, he’ll engineer a move to a team that values him. I can’t believe he did not start today. Like a certain politician we know, I suspect if Raya shot someone on the high street, Arteta would still pick him for the next match.

Overall though the selection made sense. It was good to see Kiwior and ESR. I would have thought Saka might get a rest. And it was good to see Have-that start. As the game progressed it seemed like the attack-versus defense would become quite tiresome. But our reserve team found a way through care of Eddie. Prior to his first goal, he seemed somewhat uninvolved. There was so little space for him to move into. But as he delicately took the cross from Rice and beat Trusty to score he must have thought he was back in pre-season training with Trusty.

His second goal was that of a pure poacher. He reminded me on Franny Jeffers, the original fox in a box. By then the game was clearly settle. No anxiety and no fear of the outcome. Truly Sheffield offered nothing. But that third goal was a worldie. That was a goal that had me fall out of my chair. This was a goal of a player who suddenly had found his confidence and belief. The smile on his face when that went in was as radiant as I’d ever seen from him.

I still have my doubts about Eddie. I still believe, when fit, Jesus is the superior player. But, today he was on fire. He won us this game. And, when the penalty was finally awarded, he was gracious enough to hand it over to Vieira.  

Martinelli was electric again today. He benefited from both Zinny and ESR. He was fouled so many times – more than Saka. I can’t believe it took until the 70^th minute for Bogle to get booked. He clattered into Martinelli on numerous occasions. I was relieved when Trossard replaced him.

ESR took time to adjust to the game. In fact, he was a little underwhelming. That’s natural given that this was his first start in more than a year. And likewise, Have-that was fairly quiet. He provide the link-up play nicely and worked hard. But we’re still waiting for that explosion of play, that telling contribution or those goals to flow. He seems to be withdrawn, shy and still lacking in confidence. Maybe we just have to remain patient.

Kiwior’s selection was a good one today. Obviously he was not tested defensively but his distribution and calmness was a pleasant improvement over Gabriel. Obviously you want Gabriel back for Newcastle but this was the perfect game for him to be rested. Likewise Odergaard. Hopefully our captain does not play mid-week either. We should allow him to recharge his batteries.

Rice was again imperious in front of our defense. He really is the natural leader of this team. And behind him Saliba strolled around surveying everything in front of him in his usual regal manner. These two are pivotal to any success we have this year. Today we saw the benefit of rotation and the benefit of a strong squad. But these two have no equivalent on the bench. Along with Saka, they are irreplaceable.

A small digression onto VAR. We had 10 minutes of additional time today in the second half. No-one really needs this – well apart from Tommy and the 5^th goal. And this came about because of the long review of that 5^th goal and the time it took to decide on the penalty. How that 5^th goal could be in doubt and how the review detracts from the enjoyment of the celebration really does sap the joy from the game. It’s as though VAR is desperately looking to take the oxygen out of the room to nullify the pure enjoyment of the goals. That’s the reason we support our team and watch their games. And in that moment of fun, we have the fear of VAR coming along to snatch that joy away. For VAR, to somewhere in the footnotes or fine print determine that someone has breathed on someone that no-one else has noticed in order to cancel that moment of pure joy; VAR is on course become the destroyer of the soul of this game.

And then for the clear and obvious penalty on Vieira, it took them a lifetime to conclude – what we all knew – that Fleck had indeed fouled him in the box. I just don’t understand how VAR has becaome so damaged and disruptive. The intent was to smooth out the inconsistencies in the game. Instead we have more disruption and more uncertainty.

Today though it did not really matter. It was a walk in the park. A pleasant day for the team to relax and stroll around unhassled by the opposition. Once that first goal broke the deadlock, the game was effectively over. I can’t remember watching an Arsenal game with as few nerves, worries or fears. The idea of missing Partey or Jesus melted away within minutes. To be left with just the yearning for Aaron.

So, onto the mid-week WHU fixture in the useless Milk/Coca-Cola/Carabao Cup. I genuinely have no idea what Carabao is. According to google it’s a type of water buffalo. I believe this might be some type of sports drink. Who knows. I know I don’t. But hopefully we’ll play our reserves again. This is the least important cup. I’d like to see Rice given a rest for this game. But I doubt that would happen. I’d also like to see Saka on the bench. Let Elneny and Jorginho start this game. And give Saliba the night off. And poor old Aaron will have the reserve team in front of him.

We have Newcastle next Saturday we will certainly need everyone fit and available for that.  Well, aside from Partey and Jesus. Or maybe Raya will start mid-week as well. Because, evidentially, that’s how, at Arsenal, you rotate goalkeepers.

-LB7

The result of Champions. A point when we deserved very little until the last 15 minutes. At two nil down this game was done. We were pretty useless for most of this game. Of course, their goals were a debatable penalty and a fluke goal. But we never connected in that first half. But, if you want to compete for the league, you have to find ways to get points when you don’t deserve any; you have to find ways to not lose. And today we did that.

Right from the start Zinny was tested by Sterling and then made a crazy pass in the box. Soon after even the stalwart Rice made an errant pass in the middle of the pitch. Odegaard was off the pace and uninvolved. It was wonderful to see Saka back but even the hairy Curcello seemed to have his number (with the standard number of fouls). This was a day when we just did not function.

They pressed us and played decent football. Not that Raya had too many saves to make. But right from our sloppy start they managed to press us and minimize any available space in the midfield. So we had to go round the wings where only Martinelli showed some life.

We seemed to have lost our dynamism and creativity. While we retained some possession it seemed to lack intent.  They pressed us and we went sideways. They were half decent to be fair and we weren’t. This was very unlike our City performance. They crowded us out.

And then Sterling swung in a cross for VAR to adjudicate. I suppose if that had been us attacking I would have asked for penalty. I don’t know the exact rules but the header from Mudrick was not on target. It certainly hit Saliba’s arm but he had no idea; no intent. I give up trying to figure out how VAR works. It seems no less random than a regular referees decision.

I had thought that Partey might come on at half-time. Rice is wasted in Xhaka’s position. And Jorginho did not look comfortable in that defensive role today. Part of that was due to them not playing a center-forward. Instead they blocked the space around him. And we brought on Tommy instead of Zinny. Actually, I thought this was a smart decision. Sterling had been their best outlet and Tommi can actually defend.

Unfortunately, pretty quickly they fluked their second goal. As much as I want Ramsdale in goal I can’t say Raya was at fault here. Though I don’t think he was faultless either. Anyway, with Ramsdale wife generating a mini-Ramsdale, we were stuck with Raya. He made one decent save today in the second half and then reacted well at the feet of Madueke. But it would not be a match review if I don’t not lament the absence of our Aaron. Raya seems to have a free pass. Because some of his long distribution today was way off – like the City game.

And miracles do happen though. And they started with the arrival of Have-that and ESR which allowed Rice to return to his natural position. And then the game changed and we discovered ourselves. All that possession now had intent. Saka started to get passed the hairy one. Martinelli was being fed the ball. And then Sanchez, who looks to be similarly challenged on his distribution played a wayward pass only for Rice to first time deliver a perfect shot into the unguarded net. Inspirational stuff by a true leader.

From then on Arsenal were awoken just not in a woke way. And this game changed. Chelsea, who had been protecting their lead, wilted. And then Trossard, care of Saka, saved us. A perfectly guided finish from a classic Saka cross. Immediately afterwards Eddie worked hard to create an opportunity. As the momentum shifted, at this point I thought we might steal it. But it was not to be. We should though be very happy with the point when it looked, for the longest time, we’d deserved nothing. This performance was so different from previous ones at the Bridge. It speaks though to the mental toughness and resilience of our side. In the past we’d have withered away and lost this game. But they are not good enough and we are better than previous years.

Though it’s a let down from the euphoria of the City game today was also (again) a testament to the improved strength of our bench. The arrival of subs helped change the momentum of the game. And this was without using Partey. And we were missing the oh so mighty Vieira. Tactily Poch got it right and it took a long time for us to figure it out. But once Rice replaced Jorginho in the base of the midfield our game changed.

Maybe this is what happens after the tedious international break. Of course, it’s the same for them. But the best players out there for us today stayed home. White was excellent. Composed, feisty and controlled. Odegaard are representing the abysmal Norway was barely present today. Fortunately, we brought on ESR. He likes the Bridge; he’s managed a few famous goals here.

Apart from a dubious penalty, Saliba was a graceful as ever supported ably by Gabriel. As often as we recognize the silky skills of Saliba we can often overlook the progress that Gabriel has made. He has progressed from a rough and tough center half who’s distribution was uneven at best. With Zinny alongside him and when Rice is in front of him, he looks more assured and reliable on the ball.

We just need to solve that Xhaka position. It’s just not for Rice. He’s wasted there. Have-that contributed again from the bench and was important in the build-up to our equalizer. He quietly goes about his game. He competes in the air and links up really well. I’m not sure though that he’s a natural Xhaka replacement. But he deserves playing time. I’ll give him that.

Jesus buzzed around today. When we were ever so quiet in the first half, he dropped deeper to try and instigate moves. Often kicked and battered, he works so hard. We are better when he’s in the line-up. Today was the first time this season we started Martinelli, Jesus and Saka. Not that Saka was fully fit or at his best. Martinelli was the most dangerous. But given time these three can gel and ignite this team. As long as Odegaard can find aways to insert himself and dictate games. Today was one of his quietest. He was squeezed for space and had no answers.

In a long season it’s important not to lose games – especially to teams that can compete for the top 4. Today was a symbolic win. A point that should instill more confidence in this team. It can’t afford to perform like they did in the first half. But they’ll know that. And some of that was down to Chelsea. But how they responded was even more important. At 2-0 down this game looked utterly lost. Sure, their goals were fluky but we were pretty pathetic and deserved it. I was more than happy to give up, right this game off and walk away.

There seems to be a belief in this team. One that was not there in prior years. Not there when we lost to Brighton, Newcastle, Palace and all those other bland, average teams we used to lose games to. This team seems to have learned how to earn points even when they are not at their best. I mean, you can’t expect to win games if you only turn up for one half (at best).

Now we have a stretch before the next round of corrupt FIFA international games. God, how they ruin the season. At some point FIFA will move full time to Saudi Arabia and the illusion of being a neutral, Swiss-based entity will be shattered. In the meantime they will set up world cups not just across multiple countries but multiple continents. Sure, that makes it easy for fans. The next world Cup will be split between the Moon and Mars.

Next up is Sevilla. There won’t be much time to rest given our prior CL performance. Hopefully their new manager has only had time to confuse them. We can’t afford to lose this game. So, let’s hope today gave us some confidence. And allowed some of our players to shake off some of the rust from the international break.

In the meantime, we continue to move in the right direction. This team is for real.

-LB7

Finally. A few ghosts were vanquished today. Three points deserved. A tactical chess match that the student won. Today the reserves beat the first team. Actually, in some ways we looked like the first team. In a season of important matches this is just one – and as we saw last season (and is all previous ones) you can’t win the league in October. We know the City juggernaut will be resurrected and have it’s annual resurrection in February in time for their crushing run-in. We can though savor today and wallow in the warm embrace of finally beating the best team in the league.

Though in that first period of the game it didn’t seem like it would finish this way. They had two or three clear chances to take the lead. As Arteta always says, it’s a game of fine margins and, in games such as these, you have to take your chances. And they didn’t. How Ake missed is beyond me; to not even get it on target either. We had Rice to thank for clearing off the line as well. And then there was Raya giving us all palpitations.

The line-up was interesting. T0 play with a base of two holding players with Rice pushing up. Without the glorious Saka we knew it would be more challenging. Missing both our wingers took away our ability to work through them in our wide areas. Jesus worked really hard but it was clear and understandable that he did not have the same understanding with White.

Both Trossard and Eddie were somewhat anonymous though Trossard’s ability to switch the ball was noticeable. Eddie was frustrating most of the game. He does not quite close them down in a press and he does not quite link up the play fast enough. Whereas City knew how to press as a team so much more effectively. We found it hard to build out from our defense. They denied passing lanes and put pressure on Raya. Unfortunately for a player renowned for his distribution today just begged the question as to why Ramsdale does not play.

What does Raya have to do to lose his place? If this is Arteta’s idea of what a rotation means then I then I can only assume that he’s English is not as good as I had thought. Whether it was his long passing or short passing he created uncertainty in our defense. Maybe he has compromising pictures of Arteta, or maybe he’s in a relationship with the goalkeeping coach because based on the last few league games, Ramsdale deserves to be our starting goalkeeper.

Rice was immense today. His ability to thrust himself into tackles and break up play is something that we’ve not had for along time. His leadership and work rate elevate this team. He is one of the main reasons we have progressed as a team this year. And in big games he certainly imposes himself. He was the best midfielder out there. Because of Jorghino, he played more on the left but also pushed up more. He had more of a license. I liked Jorghino today. He’s limited in his speed and physicality but played an important role today.

And behind them Saliba and Gabriel had Haaland under complete control. Haaland was anonymous today because of them. Saliba out muscled him and Gabriel out fought him. And thankfully Raya did not have a shot to save all game. With White on the right and then a non-inverted Zinny on the left this defense looked assured an in control. It was interesting that neither teams full-backs inverted in the first half – there was no space in the congested midfield.

The game changed though at half-time. Once Martinelli appeared the tempo and directness of our game changed. In the first half there were periods where City, unsurprisingly, dominated possession. But once Trossard was replaced with Martinelli, we began to control the game. Odegaard was more involved and Jesus continued to threaten down our right. But it was only with Martinelli did we finally have a presence on the left.

This game was finally won by our substitutions and lost by theirs. With Grealish and Phillips on the bench they opted to bring on Nunes, Stones and Daku with only the later having an impact. Whereas, in addition to Martinelli, Partey, Have-that and Tommy were the key players in our goal. Have-that was more energetic than Eddie, working back and tackling with more energy. And, of course, his layoff from Tommy’s header set up Martinelli.

Partey demonstrated what Jorghino was lacking. An ability to play more direct, more vertical. That extra poise makes the difference. Having Rice and Partey alongside each other protects the defense and yet can create more. So it was good to see Partey back. And Have-that should take more confidence from his cameo today. And what was Tommy doing up in their penalty area?

Even after that goal City did not seem to threaten too much. I can’t remember any real clear cut chances they had or saves Raya was required to make. They clearly missed KDB and Rodri more than we missed Saka and half of Martinelli.

Phiilips must be drawing a nice fat pay check because clearly Pep has no faith in him. Playing Lewis in the Rodi position and then bringing on Stones. But of course, Southgate will still pick Phillips along with Maguire but ignore White. But thankfully Southgate won’t be able to use White or Saka during this tedious International waste of time break.

As enjoyable and tactical and watchable this game was – and as brilliant as the outcome – we do have to address one issue. Of all the refs around I’ve always liked Michael Oliver. He’s one of the best. Of course, that bar is pretty low these days. I just don’t understand how, after booking Jorghino, he then booked Kovacic for a foul that was closer to being a red card than a yellow. It’s funny how at the start of last season they were the senior teammates on LAChelsea and yet today they were the protagonists on the two best teams in the EPL.

That initial Kovacic challenge was much closer to the one that got Curtis Jones sent off against that lot last week. And then soon after, from yet another wayward Raya pass; this time into Rice, Kovacic dives in, studs up with another late tackle that is as a yellow a card as you could see. And yet Oliver declined to produce the card. There is no way Kovacic should have stayed on the pitch. And yet, somehow, he did. This made no sense. But then, as we saw last week, little about refereeing does make sense. Having said that, I thought Oliver was good again today. Certainly better than Hooper and the other morons in the VAR booth.

And lets revisit last week. As stupid and fucked up as the VAR review was we could all see for ourselves with the naked eye. And then we could hear it later on the VAR recording, I worry that everyone has focused on the mistakes of Darren England and allowed him to be the scapegoat. The core issues though is not him but the incompetence of the PGMOL. If this needed proof then how they handled this cock-up was a clear demonstration of their ineptitude. Their solution, among other things, was to remove English from refereeing any Liverpool game this year. How does this even make sense? What kind of precedent does this set? English is not good enough to ref Liverpool games but he is the other 19 teams? And what about if he refs a Sp*rs game? How does this help English or anyone. Either say he’s not good enough to ref any EPL game or leave him alone. Now certain refs can be kept away from certain teams? How does that work? And why for one year? All it does this does is demonstrate the fact that we are beholden to the union of refs that is the PGMOL. We have the best players in the best league in the world with the worst refs. Why can’t we have European refs rather than being limited to English ones? We are not limited to just English payers any more so why just English refs?

I don’t mind them going to UAE to ref games. But why can’t European refs come and ref our games? Again, this is all down to the PGMOL who have a vice like grip on our game. Why? Who allows this to happen? The clubs? The FA? I don’t really know. All I know is that the PGMOL has taken the available technology and fucked it up. Why can’t we have automated offside technology. I know that would not solve the basic lack of communication skills that VAR displayed. But again, while everyone is focusing on English, the PGMOL escape answering for the drop in ref standards; are not held accountable for tarnishing the best league in the world. What happens at the end of the season if Liverpool lose out on the title or Europe by one point? Apart from making me exceptionally happy, I’m sure it will throw up yet more conspiracy theories from Liverpool fans. It’s not a conspiracy – they are too stupid and dumb to be smart enough to conspire (the refs not the Liverpool fans) – it’s just a plain-old cock-up in a quintessentially English way.

But back to the game. We deserved this victory today. We matched them tactically. Neutralized most of their threats. And as the second half wore on began to control and dominate the game. This team has grown up and evolved. There was a balance there – again, in the second half – that bodes well for the future. As good as the result was, as we saw last season, there’s long way to go. If we had lost Rice like they had lost Rodri it would have been a different outcome. He is our difference maker this year. That was money well spent. Today was a pleasure. This team is still young. We will make mistakes and will miss our chances (like they did today). But we continue to move in the right direction. We have to protect Saka, Rice and Martinelli. Oh, and Saliba. But with Tommy on the bench along with Have-that. And Timber in the recovery room we finally have a squad to compete. And today will have given us some more belief. Maybe not for this year but certainly for next.

Now we can wallow in our accomplishment for 2 weeks. And hopefully that gives Saka enough time to recover. To have him back along with Partey will help stabilize this team and add that creative spark that we missed in the first half. So, enjoy your next two stressless weeks away from actual football and then we can start to look forward to our next match at LAChelsea. That will be challenging. But we’ve shown we can rise to these challenges now. As long as Darren English, PGMOL and VAR are not involved.

-LB7

A nice relaxing day on the coast. Bournemouth really are pleasant, decent and well behaved hosts. We can only hope they remain in the EPL.

I’m not sure Raya actually had a save to make today. But, clearly, he is now the number 1 goalie. There is no rotation here at Arsenal. Though I remain a fervent Ramsdale fan, I could see the value in Raya’s calmness on the ball. We continued to play back through him today. He was patient on the ball and, aside from a few passes that were misplaced, did not place us in danger. Of course, having said that, I’d still prefer to see Ramsdale there.

The clean-sheet though is based on the spine of Saliba, Gabriel and Rice. Though they weren’t stretched too much, in those few instances Saliba and Gabriel were perfectly positioned to intercept or block. And in front of them Rice provides a solid, consistent shield.

On either side we had White and Zinny pushing forward. Zinny was more involved this week and help move us forward. Odegaard had so much time on the ball and Saka – apart from being kicked – had the beating of his man. He was of course the catalyst for our first goal. Jesus combining with the cross-bar to have Saka nod the ball in.

Eddie remains a conundrum. He really should have scored today and we seem to lose something from Jesus when he’s pushed out to the wing. However, Eddie won us our first penalty. I like the way that we randomize who will take our penalties. If only we would do that will our goalkeepers. I’m sure their goalkeeper would prefer to know who’s taking the penalty. It certainly makes us less predictable.

The most important goal was that third one. Allowing Have-that to take-that yet again demonstrated the leadership of Odegaard. The away fans reaction was brilliant. As was his team-mates. You can see the ground-swell of support for him. It will take him a while longer though to settle in. I could have seen Arteta starting Vieira today. But, if you watch closely, you can see how much work Have-that does off the ball. How much he slides into the middle to support Rice. And how well he tracks back.  

Somehow, he managed to pick up a yellow card from Salisbury the referee. Overall, he was not the worst ref – I mean, we did get awarded two penalties (that’s three in two games now so don’t expect any more this season) – though they were pretty clear-cut. But I don’t know how Have-that got a yellow but then refuse to give a yellow to any of the Bournemouth players who committed identical fouls.

This was such a nice leisurely game for us. They barely pushed us. It was noticeable though that we played a much more patient game. Often choosing to play backwards and sideways. And using Raya as the pivot point. Odegaard found it hard sometime to receive the ball. Only when he dropped deep alongside Rice would he receive the ball.

Most of our play was developed down either wing. Occasionally though Rice would burst forward and open up opportunities. This is what Partey does so well. It’s this vertical play that changes the pattens of play. Rice, as he continues to settle in, will grow into that part of his game.

It was good to see ESR get more minutes even if he should have scored (at least once). And that Nelson is now one of the first substitutes. Of course, against Bournemouth, I could one of the first substitutes. My only worry is relates to Saka. At three nil up he really should have been withdrawn. I was relieved to see Rice removed but we should also be protecting Saka. He barely gets a break and in games like this we have a responsibility to protect him. Especially with the depth on the bench that he had today. An even nicer touch would have been for Ramsdale replace Raya. But that’s wishful thinking I suppose.

Even though we’re back in the top four I still don’t feel that we’ve really rediscovered the form of last year. That’s not a criticism merely an observation. We don’t need to be in top form now. As we were last year. We just have to stay close enough such that when we do find our form we can then capitalize on it. Our style of play is slowly evolving. We seem to be slightly more possession based and more determined to play from the back – patiently. And that’s fine. Teams are adapting to us so it’s important to evolve.

There are more elements of todays game I could comment on but it really felt like a pre-season game.  Aside from the first 10 minutes Bournemouth really had no game whatsoever. They were much more threatening under Howe. Given the quality of some of the teams this year it might be the first time that four or five deserve to get relegated. Sheffield, Luton, Burnley, Everton and Bournemouth are all pretty crap. There seems to be much less middle ground in the league. That is, teams either raise their quality – Villa, Brighton, West Ham – or start to sink. But there are few less natural mid-table teams. Maybe that’s what comes of new owners and more money in the league.

We still have to navigate past Lens on Wednesday but the focus will surely shift to the Sunday City game. Without Rodri the complexion changes. And without KDB. Let’s hope they play Phillips. And also that they win mid-week. It’s unusual for them to lose two games on the spin. A few more injuries would also help us. But this will be an important test for us.

It’s remarkable that they could lose to Wolves. It’s not as surprising that United could fail again. Which leads us to the Liverpool game and the standard of referring in this league. As much as the quality of the teams in the EPL continues to develop so the standard of refereeing regresses. Somehow the availability of technology still leads to eye-popping poor decisions. Today Liverpool were robbed. It was literally day-light robbery.

Aside from being the better team they somehow had a clearly good goal ruled offside. This is unforgivable. This is exactly what VAR is there for. The naked eye could see if was onside but common sense does not seem to apply here. Note also, in this era of improved transparency, the PGMOL refuse to provide the lines they use to make their decision. Do they think they are the Supreme Court that is not answerable to anyone (well, to be fair, they explain their decisions). What right do they have to not show these lines. And explain their own incompetence. I’m not blaming the linesman. But the morons in their nice little offices in Stockley Park, who have the benefit of reviewing at their leisure rather than in real-time with the added pressure of the fans. How can they continue to make these mistakes?

This was then compounded by the sending off of Jones. This was the worst use of VAR. When you slow it down it looks terrible but at the time, you could tell Jones was going for the ball and his tackle rolled off the top of the ball before hitting the shin. This was never a red card. And changed the game. And the ref originally had this right.

Then we have the offside. And finally, Jota, emulated Tommy. The first yellow was beyond a joke. He barely touched the Sp*rs player who tripped over himself. It was not a foul let alone a yellow card. And then that second tackle was a foul. But somehow he got sent off within 90 seconds of the first yellow.

Which brings us back to the standard of referring in this league. They are, week in week out, too many clear mistakes. And mis-use of this technology. This will only be resolved when they remove the human element and use automated off-side technology and also explain how the decision was made. Until then we’re left with a billion dollar sport being ruined by underqualified, under-paid, amateur referees. Which leads back to the FA, EUFA and FIFA; organizations all run by people who are overpaid and under qualified to run the game. Corruptions runs through all of them. And we are the ones that have to suffer. From forcefully kissing women in public and having no decency to resign to putting the WC in Qatar. These organizations stink. Change will only come from clubs – but they are also at the mercy of state run public funds. Which means it’s going to require an uprising by the fans. But don’t hold your breath.

In the meantime, let’s hope we wrap Saka in cotton wool along with Rice. It’s important not to lose on Wednesday but we have to rotate. I’d take a draw as long as we are ready, rested and prepared for City on Sunday. This is our opportunity to step up.  I don’t believe this will be our year but this is a game where we have to show that we’ve progressed and that we can compete with them.

-LB7

Yuk. Too many mistakes and too many injuries. We should have won the game in the first half and then lost it in the second. This was a game of what could have been. Let’s just hope the injury room is not too overcrowded.

Raya was officially anointed the number 1 today. There was one brilliant save in the first half from Johnson. But his distribution was not great and he should have done better on the initial cross for their first goal. I’m clearly biased but Ramsdale should regain his position for the next few games but he wont.

We also missed Trossard today. Unfortunately, Eddie chose today to have his worst performance for us. Nothing he did worked. His passing was off, his touch was off and he added nothing to our game. He did seem to close them down either. If Jesus was fully fit, then Nelson should have replaced him not Jesus.

Of course, in that first half, Jesus should have increased our lead when he dispossessed Maddison on the edge of their box. Prior to that he had a back-post shot saved but this one really should have hit the target. This is where games are won and lost.

But back to Eddie. This was so frustrating to watch. In such a big game to see him flounder reminded me of how he was a couple of years ago.  Even when he did win the ball back he’d lose it straight-away. He’s body language seemed off as was his effort. He was really ineffectual. So much so that Vieira looked quite good in comparison. It was brave of Arteta to start him over Have-that. He also though had trouble coming up to the speed of the game.

On that same side Zinny had one of his quietest games. And, likewise Rice. Early on he charged forward but he was as subdued as I can remember. We should have gone in at half-time ahead. We regained possession of the ball high up the pitch on a number of occasions but could not create real chances. The Saka goal arrived from their turnover and our quick movement. Maybe that shot would have curled in. But we deserved the lead. And we needed to extend it.

The wankers continued to play out from the back and were very high risk but, to be fair, they did play football. Unlike prior years, they came to play. There were periods in the first half where they controlled the ball quite nicely. And, once the second half started, they further asserted themselves.

In hindsight, losing Rice was the turning point.  The change to our rhythm was dramatic. We were unable to retain the ball nor create. Have-that was an improvement over the injured and withdrawn Vieira. Again our corners came to the rescue. We had a couple of chances – even though, today, none were short corners. Then we had the penalty. With Paul Tierney on VAR duty it was always going to be complicated. That was as clear as a hand bull as you could see. Yet Tierney dragged on the review for so long like he was looking for any opportunity not too award it.

And then, as the TV was showing yet the nth replay we missed the lead into to the Jorginho Gerrard-like mistake to hand them an immediate reply. Ironically, this was reminiscent for the Fabergas goal against from the kick-off about ten years ago. Anyway, by this stage without Rice and Partey, Jorghinho with all his experience should have kept it simple rather than dallied on the ball. A fundamental mistake which destroyed our momentum. At that point I feared we’d lose this game.

We had no fluency or control. Maddison was carving us open and they were controlling the game. It was only when he joined our injured players that we started to find some control. Saka then added to our injury list while Eddie continued to lose every knock down and chance. The one he missed in the first half was difficult but thereafter his contribution was zero. I was hoping he’d be replaced by Nelson and Jesus could go centrally.

This was such a frustrating and disappointing performance. The second half was as poor as we’ve seen in a while. I can understand why though. With so many replacements it was hard to find a rhythm against a fluent side that had a clear intent in playing. This unlike the United game was a challenge for us. One that we did not meet. While we might have won this game it’s not clear we deserved to. Even at the end that thug Ricarlison could have scored.

Even Saliba was making a few mistakes today with his distribution. Both he and Gabriel were resolute in defense. As was White. Until, when Saka was too easily beaten by Maddison, no-one had anticipated that and we too slow to come out and close him down.

Saka was hacked most of the game. We expect that. It was a relief to see him replaced in order to protect him. Let’s hope his recovers quickly. We saw today why we needed a little more cover for him. Less money on Raya and more on a replacement.

As frustrating as this performance was – and I have some sympathy given the disruption through the injuries – this was all compounded by the unbearable TV camera work. As mentioned, we nearly missed the entirety of their second goal. But there is this new fixation to show prolonged shots of each manager while the game is happening. Likewise, we have these tedious close up shots of individuals in the crowd. And, then after any action, they have close-ups of any player involved. All the while, the game is happening. I just don’t understand why there is not more of an outcry. It makes the game so difficult to follow. It disrupts your sense of the flow of the game. And these shots add literally zero value. And then we have the constant replays whilst the play is continuing. Over the years I’ve been complaining (it’s in my nature) but this season it seems to have deteriorated. The camera director thinks he’s trying to provide some insight into the emotions or brain patterns of the managers, players etc whereas instead we are denied the chance to actually follow the game. The only solutions I can think of are (1) introduction of picture in picture or (2) I become anointed the Czar of all TV camera decisions. It’s not clear which one of these two is more unlikely.

Given our performance against PSV our expectations were quite high going into this game. And, given that they are only a few months into their new managers reign, they are not quite at the level they would expect. Therefore, this was our chance today. And quite frankly, for various reasons, we blew it. As we know, this is a game of fine margins. You have to take your chances when you are dominating. Both Jesus and Eddie missed theirs today. And thereafter, with all our injuries, the second half was as scrappy and as disjointed as I can remember seeing us. In fact, watching this performance today highlighted high much more work we still have to do in order to compete with City. Even with Rodri now out for game – and how refreshing was it to see one of their players finally get a straight red – if we play like we did today in the second half, they will tear us apart.

All eyes will now turn to the injury room. Mine will also turn to the goalkeeper but that’s just my obsession. With Rice, Partey and possibly Saka in addition to Martinelli and Trossard all requiring treatment we are, so early in the season, going to be challenged.  Now we will see how our squad depth looks. We knew Partey would be injured. That’s as certain as day following night. But losing both Rice and Saka will cause a relapse of this team. Though I doubt Jorginho can be as hesitant and uncertain as he was today.

As we know it’s a long season but with these addition Champions League fixtures it’s going to be stressful on the playing time for players. Obviously it’s too early to concede on the mickey-mouse Milk-League-Coca-Cola-whatever-its-called-cup, but Wednesdays game should see an entirely different team fielded. With Ramsdale of course 🙂 . Though it’s only Bournemouth at the weekend, we need players to recover prior to Lens and then City.

With LA Chelsea imploding and United being just tiresome and dire, we’ll be fighting Liverpool, The wankers, Brighton and Newcastle for these other top 3 spots. Or is it 5 next year? Today we demonstrated why we’re not quite ready to challenge City. Without a world-class striker or left-midfield player we’re just a little deficient. And then once injuries kick-in we are exposed. We could easily have lost this game.

Arteta has a ton of work to do. As good as this team has become, getting it to the next level will require a fully fit Rice. Today we again saw his importance; without him we were vulnerable. I don’t think for one minute that he was fully fit even in the first half. And we need to convert our chances. Of course, some would say, I don’t know who, that we also need Ramsdale in goal.

By the end of the match we had started to reassert ourselves but without any real cutting edge. Minus Saka and Jesus and with no Trossard or Martinelli there was not obvious place the goals would come from. Odegaard was also kept fairly quite today. He continued to work hard on the press – along with Jesus – but Eddie was always a little late to the press. But today Maddison outshone Odegaard. Though part of that was because of the Rice being fried (sorry) and Vieira being, well, Vieira. Have-that was more assured today so let’s hope it’s part of his acclimatization to our team. Because we’ll need him now. And Elneny!

We played a decent team today so this is not like dropping point to Fulham. And it was a pleasure to watch a game (well, that part that the TV cameras would show) where neither team parked the bus. But it’s clear there’s plenty of work to be done on our young team. Arteta will be tested this year given the increased expectations. And we have to remain patient. In particular, I have to. But once we start converting our chances we’ll move in the right direction. As long as our physios can kept our key players fit.

So I’ll give the Wednesdays game a pass and start training for the Bournemouth game in case Arteta needs someone to play alongside Elneny in midfield.

-LB7

Three points at Everton. Not to be sniffed at. Irrespective of how abject Everton are, it’s been our graveyard for many years now. So, coming away with three points, a clean sheet and no red cards is the best outcome we could have hoped for.

Sure, it was a bit laboured. Playing against a team who were committed only to nullifying our game and utterly devoid of any intention to leaving their own half, it was a struggle. Our possession stats were through the roof but all they cared about was parking the bus. They made Bolton look entertaining. I believe they had a few corners in the second half and a few free kicks but it was just dumfounding to see how little Everton tried to challenge us. Instead, they bunkered in for the entire game.

Within our possession game we cycled the ball smoothly and created some openings. If I was to be a little critical it was that we did not open up their defense too much. Poor Eddie was continuously surrounded. They did not allow for any space for us to operate in. But that’s what happens when a team play with a backline of ten players. The combination of White and Saka were able to open them up a few times but then their ten-man defense would all throw themselves to block any shots etc. Pickford hardly had a save to make.

Then there was the disallowed goal. Martinelli, who had been probing and teasing old man Young was set free by a perfect Vieira pass. Unfortunately, in addition to his perfect finish he also strained his hamstring. Personally, I find it hard to understand the offside rule these days. In this instance, everyone seemed to agree it was offside. Eddie was coming back (marginally) from an offside position. But Gabriel’s pass was wickedly deflected off Beto. So how was it offside? Because it was inadvertent? Instead, we lost a goal and the energy of Martinelli.

Trossard took a while to get acclimatized. The right hand side of this team seems to dominate now. That combination of Rice, Saka and White – the English side – plus Odegaard, seem to be more creative and threatening. Whereas even with Zinny and Martinelli, the left hand side with either Vieira or Have-that, just feel more ponderous.

The half-time team talk seemed to work as, in the second half, we picked up the speed of our play and interchanges. Chances were created. Odegaard brought out a save from Pickford and Vieira sniffed around at the back post on a couple of occasions. Trossard also became more involved. There were a few scares when misplaced passes from Trossard and also the wonderful Rice could have been threatening – that is, if we were playing against a football team and not a concrete defense.  

Even with this improved momentum it was hard to see where a goal might come from. However, in the course of eleven – that’s right 11 – corners we figured out that we‘d not win any balls in the air. So, a number of the corners were short-ones. And from one, we created the goal. Forget the time it took to take the corner (if you’re concerned about that you should review Pickfords goal kicks and handling time) but the planned interplay culminated in the perfect left-footed shot from Trossard that was unstoppable. Completely deserved.

Thereafter Jesus had a breakaway chance but could not quite control the ball. All very reminiscent of the United game. We won with a corner routine. That’s six points from corners now. One of these teams will wake up and figure this out at some point. In the meantime, this demonstrates the attention to detail of our manager and his staff. If only now they could figure out how we might be able to take quicker throw-ins.

The selection for this game was obviously impacted by our return to the Champions League on Wednesday. Finally, the end of our own little Brexit as we enter Europe properly. Last year, at the end of the season, we paid the price for the lack of squad depth. Now we have a stronger and deeper squad we need to rotate to preserve both fitness and competition for places.

Replacing Have-that with Vieira made sense. I remain unconvinced by Vieira but also acknowledge that he’s showing signs of growth and needs minutes to develop. Have-that, will, with time, also acclimatize to our style. Trossard remains an enigma. He has proved himself invaluable but there are times when he disappears.  Some of this depends on the role he’s been allocated. He’s not a straight replacement for Martinelli – no one can be. We will miss his pace and directness – and goals.

Maybe on Wednesday we will see minutes for both ESR and Nelson. Both must be itching to play – ESR in particular. At some point we also have to protect Rice. He was dominant again. He’s ability to recover quickly and stop their build-up play higher up the pitch near the half-way line is something we’ve not seen in decades. It is reminiscent of the original Vieira. Against Everton he strolled around and protected the backline and linked up play. He’s yet to add in the forward, directness of Partey but that will come. He’s been a remarkable signing. Worth every penny. But we can’t play him every game.

Behind him the restored pairing of Saliba and Gabriel provided the required solid defensive shield. Gabriel has to either work on his distribution or we need Rice and Saliba – and Zinny – to take the ball away from him. Gabriel does not have the same vision not speed of passing of the others. But with White excelling again at right-back and Zinny roaming the field from the left, this back four is clearly our best. Though when Tommy came on and restored the six foot defensive shield in place of the undersized Zinny, we retained our confidence and composure.

Which leads us to poor Aaron. I was not a happy camper when I saw the change in goal. As I’ve said here previously, I’m conflicted by the acquisition of Raya. It’s a lot of money and I think Ramsdale is the best goalie we’ve had in decades. I also acknowledge that Arteta knows what he’s doing and it is comforting to know that if Ramsdale was injured or sent-off we have more than adaquat cover now.

But poor Aaron. He’s been waiting in the wings for ages to prove that he should be the England #1 goalkeeper. So, finally, he gets his chance midweek and he starts for England, keeps a clean sheet (aside from the obligatory Maguire own-goal) and then returns to Arsenal to find out that, for the day, that he is now the number 2 goalkeeper. This was, naturally, the pre-game discussion point. Arteta, who wisely, deflects on most questions and won’t be draw on his strategy, should, for the moment, be taken at face value. That there will be fair competition for the goalie spot. Raya looked good yesterday; his distribution is just a little more rapid than Aaron. The worst outcome here would be if Aaron became the new Leno – relegated to the #2 slot. But, again, that’s not what Arteta is saying. The next two games will tell us a lot. If Raya is playing in both the CL and in the NLD then Aaron will eventually pack his bags. But I pray that is not the case. Aaron will have to play in at least one of these games. Maybe he’ll become the CL and cup goalie?

Would Arteta rotate the goalies between EPL games? That would be novel. I don’t think that has ever happened for a EPL team. The argument usually is that the defenders need to have an understanding of the positioning, strengths and style of the goalie behind them. If you change that too frequently, you’ll destabilize the defensive. So, as important as rotation is, let’s see how this develops.

A final word on Everton. They really are appalling. Usually, they take time to sink into the relegation zone before somehow escaping on the last day of the season. This year they seem to have perfected their approach. This was as abject and poor as I’ve ever seen them. There was no energy or purpose to their play. One of the mains strengths they have at Goodison is their vocal supporters – who are nearly up there with Newcastle. But the teams lack of energy was transmitted to their fans who had no chance to motivate their team and intimidate us. This was so unlike a Sam Dyche team and so unlike our visit last year. Maybe this is the year they could finally be relegated – just as they move into their spanking new stadium. Now that would be funny.

Another important week lies ahead. Beyond Eindhoven we have the improved wankers and their crying center-forward coming to us next week. They don’t have the distraction of Europe so they will be fresh and energized by their manager. This will be an interesting game. Unlike most games this year when the opposition parked the bus – the wankers won’t do that. So, whereas, we have not regained our form of last year, this will hopefully be the game where the more open approach will allow us to finally click and perform as we did last year. Sure, Arteta has made tactical changes to have us play more controlled football, but against a team that will come out and challenge us more, it will be fascinating to see whether we can revert to our more fluent and creative nature.

-LB7