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TOTL still. It’s a shame this will be the last time I can say that this season.

I needed more than 48 hours to recover before providing any commentary. Actually, if truth be told, I was not going to say anything about this game as I was not able to watch the game in my natural environment. I had been on a top secret mission. Edu had personally approached me to go over to Europe and scout possible signings for last season. I had been sworn to secrecy but, unfortunately, my notes were hacked by some Russian hackers (or was it a lieutenant colonel in the US army – who can tell these days) and the recommendations are now being fed into ChatGPT in order to generate an A.I. Arsenal team for next year. All I can reveal is that this team will eviscerate Sp*rs 6-1 in Ryan Mason’s last game in charge before they hire Frank Lampard to drive them into the championship.

But back to Wednesday. This was about as predictably painful as could have been expected. To not even get through the first 10 minutes with a clean sheet and then to have VAR help them with a second goal before half-time seemed unnecessarily cruel. I mean, it genuinely looked to be offside. And with the lines being drawn such that you could not simultaneously see the moment the ball was played and the line, it made it impossible to tell. But you just knew they’d allow the Stone goal to stand. Like they did not need any more help. I’m sure the outcome would have been the same. But it was particularly cruel.

And, of course, it was Partey that had given away that free kick. In the same way he’d given away the first goal. As Holding was holding the ugly Norskman, Partey was watching KDB glide by him. As he did for the entire game. As pivotal and important as Partey has been for us this year – and last – these last few weeks it seems like he has disappeared. Not to lay the blame for this result on his feet (which he’d then lose to KDB) but this was as poor a performance from him that we’ve seen. He seemed lost and tactically exposed. That could be said for Arteta as well (though he was not actually trying to mark KDB) but the Pep moves seemed to bamboozle us.

Our two best players – Saka and Martinelli – were starved of the ball. They were completely marginalized in this game. City flooded the midfield, pushed their wingers wide and then unleashed KDB and the ugly Norskman on us. We seemed unable to adjust. Well, not until we brought on Jorginho by which time it was too late.

As depressing as it was to watch and as annoying the inevitable and unnecessary involvement of VAR, it’s hard to debate the outcome. It did not need to be 4-1 but, based on what we saw, it was clear they’d be only one winner. It just would have been more fun if the contest had lasted longer. And, for our young team, maybe this is another part of the learning process.

Maybe we can blame the Crown for snatching the title from us. If a certain person could have delayed her death, then the original schedule fixture could have occurred before the corrupt World Cup. Then, for the originally scheduled fixture, we would have faced a City team that was disjointed and dropping points. Whereas, back then, Arsenal were functioning smoothly and firing on all cylinders.  Instead, we had a City that had finally found their rhythm just as we were discovering last years end of season form.

Against a City in this form, we needed our best players to be at their best. Instead, we had Partey playing like Denilson. Jesus was completely ineffective and Zinny was barely involved. Xhaka was equally quiet. And then there’s Holding being overrun by the savage from the north without any protection in front of him. The only players that seemed to show up were White and Ramsdale.

Too often we were being overrun on the counter-attack. Partey was unable to track KDB and both Gabriel and Holding were retreating rather than pressing. Without Ramsdale’s heroics, this could have been a Newcastle score.

There was no cohesion in our play. We were unable to retain possession and vulnerable to their attacks. It’s illuminating that neither Grealish or Silva threatened us. They were just parked on the wings. And Gundogan just stayed locked in alongside Rodri denying us any space to create. Poor Odegaard was unable to exert any influence.

The good news was that we did not have to suffer Vieira coming on as a sub.

Once Jorginho joined Partey were started to gain some control of the game. By then though City were already on cruise control. But it was a distinct improvement with Jorginho and Trossard. And there was a nice little cameo from Nelson.

This was reality check though for us. This was the first big 6 game this season where we were truly outmatched, out played and out gunned. The fact that it was against the best team in Europe should provide some consolation. It’s just a shame we’ve had to play them just as we’ve lost our way; lost our form and lost our momentum. And lost Partey.

We are though still the second best team in the PL. And we remain way ahead of schedule. No-one, at the start of the season, imagined we’d finish second in the league. We had no confidence that we’d even qualify for the Champions League. The fear was another year in the NoHoppaLeague. We have to appreciate how far this team has come and how entertaining they have been. It’s heartbreaking though, that after being TOTL for so long, and enjoying our team for so long, it has to end like this. Such a tepid performance. After three other weak performances.

It does not matter how good City were, we lost this in the prior three games. In fact, just West Ham and Southampton. That would have given us 4 vital points. And, to win the league, you can’t drop points to teams like that. Winning at City is a hard ask but winning at home to Southampton, is what you’d expect from any team that expects to win the League.

Sure, there’s a chance that City might still drop points. But, who’d now bet on us picking ourselves off from the mat now? This is where we can show we’ve learned something from last seasons miserable end to the season. Tuesday we face the disaster that is LA Chelsea. As opposed to the master tactician Pep we’ll face the dunderhead that is Lampard. This is our chance to regain some rhythm and reset the team.

Arteta will be faces with a few decisions now. Does he retain Partey? Or start Jorghino against his old team – not that he’ll recognize any of their players (and not that they recognize each other). And does he find a way of starting Trossard?

I think we can reasonably assume at this point we won’t see our Big Willie again this season. I’m impressed that it’s taken this long for me to mention him. Maybe with him we could have withstood City for longer. This was not entirely Holdings fault (or even largely his fault). But it does demonstrate that as good as our team now is, we are still too exposed in certain positions.

We don’t have the squad depth to compete. And yet, at this stage of the season, we’re only in one competition. Now, we have finally made our way back into the Champions League where we will face the grown up big boys rather than random teams that we’ve never heard of, we’ll need some serious recruitment over the summer.

Wednesday reenforced the need for reinforcements in midfield. I don’t know that Rice is sufficient. We can’t rely on Partey. Neither in terms of performance nor in availability. He is just too injury prone. And (like all of us) he continues to get older. He’ll be 30 next season. And he’s no Casemiro.

It was refreshing to see Smith-Rowe but he barely contributed when he came on nor throughout the season. And Vieira is up there with other great signings like Gervinho, Pepe and Willian. So, like all of us, in order to survive and prosper next season, we’ll need more than Rice.

Arteta needs to find a way to get this team out of this funk so we can end the season, in second place, on a high. After conceding the title, it’s vital that we can regroup and reclaim our style and rhythm. The fans will remain supportive but with upcoming games against Brighton and Newcastle, we need to demonstrate we are not last years team and that we can finish with a flourish.

Writing this so many days after the pain of Wednesday is so much easier. The pain has somewhat subsided. I still can’t fathom the VAR non-offside. Nor the meekness of certain players. Hopefully Tuesday will go some way to rectifying this. This period can’t define our season. It’s so important to regain our momentum. I suspect it’s mostly mental at this stage. But, again, it’s the tactical genius of Lampard next. So that should give us some hope.

And in the meantime, I’ll continue to work with Edu to find those much needed players for our campaign next year.

So, for the last time this year, I’ll sign off and ask you to remember, until tomorrow, we’re still TOTL.

• LB7

Christ, that was painful. The last few weeks have been getting ever more painful. And this was like having your teeth pulled out while simultaneously being forced to listen to a Harry Kane interview.

Yes, still TOTL. But not for much longer. Let’s face it, if, at home, you can’t beat the bottom team in the league it’s hard to believe you can win the league.

Where to begin. Poor Ramsdale. He’s been a star ever since he become our goalie. But, like the Bournemouth mathc, what a horrible way to start. You do have to wonder whether there’s not a mental problem in this team. And then to let them go 2-0 up. Than you Theo.

Normally we start like gangbusters. But this time, sloppiness permeated the team. It seemed like we just assumed we’d win. Credit to Southampton, they put us under pressure. But, truly we looked lethargic and pathetic.

It’s no one persons fault. Well, ok, it is. It’s Salibas fault. If not him then Tommy. Since we lost Saliba our defense has been like a colander except with even more wholes. It shows how this team is so suspectable to a single injury. We just don’t have the depth of squad. Of course, we’re far better off than previous years – in innumerable ways.

But, really, today was excruciating.  This was supposed to be a game to enjoy whereas next Wednesday was going to be the night to fear. But within 15 minute fear had overcome optimism.

While I was relieved to see Zinny back that was offset by the presence of Vieira. I know it’s only his first season but how fucking awful was he today. He just does not fit. It actually took me a while to realize he was actually playing. I kept searching for Xhaka. Don’t tell me we don’t need Xhaka. Today, even though Martinelli was threatening all game, he was not help by Vieira. I just don’t get him. He’s basically useless in this team.  He’s ineffective and indecisive. His passing is weak and he takes too many touches. And his positional sense is all wrong. He takes the space others want to move into. It’s fair to say I’ll have the Ouija board out for the next few weeks praying for Xhaka to stay fit.

And then there is our Rob. Just in case you thought we’d not miss our Willie, Rob continues to dither on the ball, take too many touches and take any momentum out of our build up play. We laboured to move the ball out of our defense. I hate to think what that ugly Norwegian will do to our Rob on Wednesday.

Not that it really matters. I think the league has gone now. And that’s not just because we’ve drawn three in a row. It’s because we’ve lost our momentum just as City have found theirs. It’s funny though, we can still score goals. We just can’t keep clean sheets. We can’t defend. Did I mention that we miss Saliba.

Aside from Rob and the vacuous Vieira, we also had to witness another horrible performance from Partey. He seems to have lost his mojo. He’s always been pivotal to our success. He looses possession, makes sloppy passes and still, right at the end, takes his speculative, wayward shots. He’s had a brilliant season for us. But these last few games he’s clearly been substandard. As long as that remains the case we’re fucked. Maybe he’s exhausted from the season. It just seems like he’s run out of steam. It’s not that he was at fault for the first goal or, even the second. It’s just that his level of play, his urgency has disappeared. Along with his judgment.

In many ways, we were fortunate to come away with a point. Once you’ve gone down 1-3 and shown little sign off life, I thought we were destined to suffer the ignominy of losing to the bottom team. Southampton would have been better off using the same formation as the first half but decided to go with 5 at the back. That created more space for us. But, with Partey moving at glacial speed we barely took advantage.

Both Saka and Martinelli were our stand out players today aided by Odegaard trying hard to buzz around the pitch. They created and scored our important goals. Unfortunately, they were not helped by Jesus who seemed to have completely lost his scoring touch today. He had chances but could barely find out where the goal was.

Arteta should have pulled off Vieria much sooner. And he should never have replaced Zinny. I’m hoping he only did because of his groin. Because once he departed we had no midfield creativity. Trossard, who again shone when he came on, was infinitely superior to Vieira. Though to be fair, a dead, legless tortoise would have been an improvement. And Arteta should have taken off Partey for Jorginho. Now that’s a sentence I never thought I’d ever write.

Today was so dispiriting. It’s so reminiscent of last season. It does make you wonder whether we actually learned any lessons from last year. As I said, it speaks to our mental strength – or lack of it. I will though acknowledge that it was Zinny that gathered the team round when we went 2-0 down. There was real leadership. And this is why he’s so important to this team.

He, Saka and Martinelli can sleep well tonight. And Ben White. But poor od Ramsdale will be having nightmares about his start. He just has to forget it though. He’s bailed us out enough times this season.

Whatever happens now we have to remember that for 30+ games we were the best in the league. I also hope that this three game skid will end on Wednesday. At some point we will recover. I just fear it requires Saliba to return. And that might not be until next season.

So, without being too depressed about this – I’ve not yet turned up the gas oven – I think we have to assume we’ve blown it now. Sure, City will drop some points at some point. But, we’re just not just playing and getting the results of a team that wins the League. And, arguably, the last three matches would demonstrate we don’t deserve it. It was ours for the taking. But we’ve made too many mistakes. We’ve beaten ourselves here. Sure, Liverpool were decent against us but against WHU and today we made too many unforced errors. We were too sloppy, too careless. Those are not the characteristics of a team that wins the league.

Maybe it’s the youth of the team, maybe it’s just inexperience. More likely it’s due to the lack of squad depth. And, given the evolution and development of this club, maybe that’s inevitable. Unlike City we don’t have 24 world class interchangeable internationals.  I know that sounds like an excuse. But, if I thought we might be learning lessons – which I’d assumed we’d done last season – I be able to take some solace from today.

You can’t win the league with our Rob and Vieira having to play too many important games. I’d always thought the outcome for us would be dictated by injuries. I’d assumed it would hinge on Partey. Our recent transfers have been stellar. It’s not a surprise that the odd one or two would be failures. But this summer we clearly need another right footed center-half in addition to Declan Rice (at least). Or to find a way to make sure both White and Tommy stay fit. In some ways we are lucky that White has been resilient and not sent off (yet). Because if we lost him we might even pine for the days of Cedric.

So, sure, we’re still TOTL, but not for much longer. I’ll try to remind myself that we’re still way ahead of schedule for this team. It’s progressed beyond anyone’s reasonable expectations. It just doesn’t do anything to make today any less painful. It seems like such a waste of a golden opportunity.

-LB7

TOTL still. But, oh dearie me. This was unquestionably 2 points dropped. This felt like deja—vu from last week just without the quality from the opposition.

This will be a short one today (that’s what she said). I don’t have the heart or soul to relive todays game. It’s just too painful. And wasteful. We had this in the palm of our hands. Another perfect start only to make a stupid mistake and change the entire momentum of the game.

This was the poorest game I’ve seen Partey play for us this season. After another brilliant start it felt like we decided the game was done. Partey was taking too many touches and being too nonchalant. And then Gabriel foolishly jumped in where no tackle was required as Holding was just about the hoof the ball clear. Between the two of them we handed them their first goal.

I feel sorry for Saka. That was a crucial penalty to miss. For him, it will rank alongside his Euro miss. Though, of course, this one was way more important. No-one should care about a stupid England result. But this could have helped pave the way to our first premier league title. Of course, we’d not be anywhere close to this level without him. So, no hard feelings Saka.

At this stage though we are suffering from a crisis of confidence. We are making mistakes that are just born from pressure. I don’t believe for a minute this is unrelated to the shadow of the devil in the northwest that is lurking just behind us. But if you want to win the league you have to find ways of overcoming this mental pressure.

That first 35 minutes again was so smooth and dominant. We must though find a way to go from 1-0 up to 3-0. Maybe we can score the second and third goal simultaneously. Because, that 2-0 score line just kills us. We seem to slip into a trance and then loose drive and focus. Once they scored their first goal we barely regained control of the game. I think we were shell-shocked.

Our issue is not creating chances or scoring goals. Our issue is our defense. Today we were severely hampered by the lack of both Saliba and Zinny.  I have often stated that we need our Big Willie back to have any chance of winning the league. But, today, this was compounded with Zinny not playing. Our defense, along with a poor Partey performance – seemed under constant pressure. Neither Holding or Tierney have the composure or positional sense to play in our current team.

I’m not blaming Holding. He’s playing to the best of his ability. But, he was outrun and out played by Antonio. His distribution is uncertain and his speed is lacking. I had thought though we’d be able to get away with it against WHU. But losing Zinny disrupted our creativity on the left. Tierney tried to play as an inverted full-back but it just not come naturally to him.

There is just no way we can win the league when we carry these two. When we needed help to retain the ball and keep possession, Tierney was not able to help. And his marking for their second goal was non-existent.

After that first 35 minutes – as last week – it’s soul destroying to watch us throw away 2 points to a bang average team. It speaks, yet again, to our collapse at the end of last season. We have this title within reach. Yet, you don’t deserve to win the league if you can’t put these types of games away.

Beyond the replacements, Partey, as mentioned was poor today. As poor as I can remember. And Saka was, after the first goal, too quiet. Jesus worked hard but neither Xhaka or Martinelli (beyond his assist) impacted the game. Odegaard worked hard, making himself available at all times. But too often we were left with Gabriel and Holding on the ball.

But, I’ll come back to our defense. The stupid mistakes that Gabriel is making – the penalty and the dithering when he was being challenged by Antonio – is as a result of not having his usual partner alongside him. We need Willie back. I worry though we will go into our next 2 games without him. And for that, I fear for our chances.

Sure, there were many other results this weekend that made me laugh out loud. You have to love Bournemouth coming back to North London and, this time, leaving with all three points. Somehow, they managed to replicate us but this time against that lot. Even down to scoring the winner with the last kick of the game.

Maybe all that laughing resulted in me messing with my own Karma.

And then there was LA Chelsea being soundly outplayed and smashed by Brighton. More laughing. And more Karma for me. I mean, who in their right mind would sit down and after spending £20m on your manager decide, without the influence of alcohol or weed, that in any world we know that Lampard is a better manager than Potter?

Unfortunately, that was all yesterday. Today we can only look at ourselves. Our lack of composure and our inability to control the ball killed us today. And for that I look to Partey. OK, maybe he was also impacted by not having Zinny near him. But, once we swapped Partey for Jorginho, we finally started to regain control. Saka, after the penalty, had one more breakaway from which he failed to trouble them. And from that point on we barely tested their goal.

However, if you score twice away from home – and against WHU – you should rightly expect to win. You have to be able to defend. And today – as last week – we just looked too shaky, too unsteady.

I have to remind myself, even as we enter this seemingly dark phase of the season, that I’ve enjoyed our football this year more so than at any time in the last 19 years. We have been the most entertaining team in the league. We have elevated our game to a level that no-one expected. We have enjoyed more explosive moments, more pure Arsenal football and more progress than any of us had a right to expect. I remind myself of this as a wipe away the tears from todays result. Knowing, that we have too many critical games coming up – not just City but Newcastle and Brighton – not to ignore Southampton – just when we seemed to have lost our momentum.

We have seen other runs where we have faltered and then recovered. But this feels different. I’m not so worried about Fridays game. But I am fearful of City. Especially if our Rob has to play. We need to find that backbone that we showed towards the end of the Liverpool game. I did not see it today. We need to improve our concentration levels and not look at the scoreline.

I had hoped that we’d learned something from last week but alas this was like a painful groundhog day experience. That is worrying. You would have thought we’d have know better.

The psychological damage from this game, last weeks result and the implosion at the end of last season could become our biggest barrier now to any long-term success. If we, as a suspect we will, fail to win the league, this will further damage this young team. Even with the self-evident progress from last year and the imminent qualification for the Champions League, this will leave an enduring scar on the team. It will define us for next year. Our ability to not crack under pressure. It will become an albatross around the neck of this team. I don’t want that specter hanging over us. So, let’s hope and pray that, come Friday, we recover to make lite of Southampton, that Theo remembers his true loyalty and that Big Willie finds a witch-doctor or medicine man to enable him to put in a few minutes on the pitch.

For the moment though, we remain TOTL.

-LB7

Still TOTL. But not for long. It was nice while it lasted.

A game of two halves. Well nearly. Pre Xhaka yellow and post. Domination and then defending. Prior to that White – who could not place a pass the entire game – got a yellow. With Paul Tierney referring you would have bet that one of them would have got sent off. Instead he decided to give them a soft penalty.

BTW, have you noticed how Partey does not get yellows or reds any more? Let’s hope I did not jus jinx him.

Poor old Zinny, literally on the bench nearly in tears after making the mistake leading to their second goal. But it was coming. Somehow Sala missed a penalty. This was a crazy, intense game. Liverpool at home is a different proposition. Even though we dropped two points, we still had chances for the third goal. We could have stolen something. But I suppose we should be grateful for Aaron and one point.

Even after these dropped two points, I have a little more faith that away against City could be interesting. Not that I’m blaming Holding for any part of today – not even the penalty – but by then we’ll need our Willie back.  We were largely outplayed from the 35^th minute onwards. Arsenal of old would have found a way to lose this one. As Liverpool got more physical, we were put under extreme pressure. City, aside from the thug Rodi, are not as physical. They play more open football. And if the version of the first 35 minutes turn up then I think we can get a point. That’s all we need.

That first 35 minutes was classic new Arsenal. All rhythm, control and possession. We made them look ordinary. We exploited the space around Trent Arnold and dominated the midfield. Xhaka with Zinny were excellent. And Martinelli shredded TA on multiple occasions. White’s only accurate pass of the game open up Saka to have them running backwards. Then care of a deflection Martinelli was there to grab the deserved first goal. In complete control and without any crowd momentum, we dominated. They had the odd breakaway. We had a classic Tierney yellow card on White. And then Xhaka perfectly released Martinelii. TA out of position again resulted in Konate coming out wide. And the perfect cross was there to Jesus to put us two nil up.

Maybe it was inevitable Liverpool would come back into the game. They could not be this poor for the entire match. However, we were not helped by Tierney. For me the turning point was when Xhaka had the ball on the left hand side of the pitch and Konate took two swipes at Xhaka. Kicking him twice. Tierney, being the complete tosspot that he is, could not see a foul there. But Xhaka could, and everyone else could on replay. And thereafter, with injustice running through his veins, Xhaka allowed himself to get tied up with TA. Which both brought the mandatory yellow card and the crowd back into the game. From this point on Liverpool were fired up. Last year it was the clash between Arteta and Klopp and this year it was TA and Xhaka. But if Tierney could actually ref a game fairly this situation would never have developed.

Odegaard was pretty quiet thereafter and we could not get Saka back into the game. White, who I’m sure is less confident with Holding alongside him had his hands-full and could not release Saka. Gabriel was having to stick tight to Sala as Zinny continued to wander the pitch.

This game won’t define our season. However, if we’d lost it might have. This was such an intense, competitive game riddled with tension and fear. There were so many times when we came close to losing all three points. So, I suppose we should be grateful for a point. But having gone two up, it still feels like a lost opportunity. Maybe it’s the youth of the team. The lack of familiarity competing in the cauldron of Anfield heat. Maybe it will be a good lesson for what we’ll have to face at both City and Newcastle. And maybe the memory of last years abject performance at St. James Park will provide the experience and motivation to propel us through these games.

Jesus is so important to this team. Not just his goals and link up play. And as impressive as Trossard has been, he just does not work as hard as Jesus. Well, no-one does to be fair. And when he was withdrawn their defense just had a little more time on the ball. This is not a criticism of Trossard but more the realization of the impact of Jesus.

Martinelli continued to be the inspiration for most of our attacks. He destroyed them on the wing. But it was not Saka’s day today. Aside from not receiving any protection from the overly physical Robertson – who only got a yellow for his fracas with the linesman – Saka was not able to finish off a couple of breakaways. We were not able to press in the second half. We went into our shell.

And then we brought on our subs. One could question why Arteta replaced Zinny with Kiwior. That’s a tough introduction for someone who’s only played 10 minutes for us this season. Tierney would have been the obvious replacement. Kiwior’s first action was to clatter into a player leading to a break that Ramsey managed to repel.

Its hard to be critical of Zinny as he’s been so pivotal to our success this year. But he was skinned by TA who then tee’d up their equalizer. And even then Ramsdale will have time for two world class saves.

So it’s hard not to think this was a point gained rather than two lost. And hopefully we will channel the frustration into our next game. There is no margin for error now. And, hopefully, there is no more Paul Tierney on the radar for us either.

This is what happens when you take the Big Willie out of Arsenal. Unlike City we don’t have that strength in depth. As much as we like Rob’s hair he’s just not at the same level. We know. And I think he knows it. And I’m sure Arteta knows it. This was too reminiscent of that disaster at WHL last year. And yet again Paul Tierney was involved. He really is an unqualified Counterpunching Unadulterated Nummuts Twat. How do we end up with him refereeing our games?

But then how do most of them. I watched the Brighton game yesterday and was stunned by the ineptitude of the VAR referee. Michael Salisbury. I’ve never seen him referee but it would scare me shitless based on this performance. He disallowed 2 legitimate Brighton goals and then completely whiffed on a stone cold penalty for Brighton. How is that even possible? We could all see what he saw. It does not take a PhD in football to see that foul.

So, what was he looking at? And it’s not VARs fault. It’s the VAR referee. We saw Lee Mason and Mike Dean screwing up. But we knew them from screwing up as actual refs. This is befuddling. How can someone, whose sole job it is, to watch the game and then take 30+ seconds to re-review decide – after 3 minutes to disallow a clear Brighton goal and then within 3 seconds ignore an unambiguous foul on a Brighton player?

This is not a technology issue – this is a people issue. And the lack of ability. The VAR refs must be mic’d up so we can hear their deliberations. And they must have a timer to make their decision. The first instance where Mitoma had a goal disallowed took over 3 minutes. And then the Welbeck disallowed goal took another 3 minutes. Neither was clear and obvious. Unlike the missed penalty. That was beyond doubt fucking obvious.

Something needs to be done to acknowledge and then change the lack of quality in the VAR decisions. There are more instances of fucked up VAR decisions than there are of actual referee ones – aside from Paul Tierney. How is that possible? The refs operate under the watchful eye of 50,000 screaming fans and 24 baying players let along the managers and their coaches. Whereas these refs operate in the secluded, relaxed, luxurious surrounding of Stokley Park completely devoid of pressure. And yet they continue to mis-use the VAR technology and made endless mistakes. Make the VAR team be at each game. And put them on camera. And give them a timer to work through. The actual referee has a split second so they should not need more than 30 seconds.

This game was as intense as I can remember. More so than when we destroyed Sp*rs or when we beat, at home United and Liverpool. This was a different level of intensity. This is what can happen at Anfield. So, I think I’m coming round to accepting the one point even though we, technically, let them back into the game.

Now we have another week to hope that more City players might get injured midweek. Their fixture is against the wandering, lost, Roger-less Leicester team. So there’s not risk there to City. We have to gather ourselves for the trip to the Hammers and just pray that we can see the return of Saliba. For us to persevere, we must find our Big Willie.

-LB7

New month and still TOTL. And this was no joke. Unlike Liverpool who were brutalized by City. Just in case we’d forgotten they were lurking right behind us.

We started without the wonder boy Saka – the first time this season – but also minus our big Willie. Arteta will miss his Willie for a while it seems. Instead, we had Holding and his hair along with the return of Jesus. So, it was Holding for Willie and Jesus for Saka though we did have Partey. Whereas for Leeds it seemed they decided to concede the points and leave their few key players on the bench.

Yet this game started like we were playing Bournemouth. Right from the kick-off we were exposed on the left and Ramsdale had to make an alert save. Collective amnesia from that painful Bournemouth experience is the only explanation. Let’s see when someone else tries this move.

Throughout the first half Leeds created chances. Whereas our ball movement was slow and purposeless, Leeds were creative and sharp especially on our right. It was reminiscent of playing Palace. Maybe the useless International break had disrupted us unlike City. Gradually we started to impose ourselves on the game and regain control. It was noticeable that most good things occurred on our left with Jesus floating out there and interchanging with Martinelli. But our right side was very quiet. With Trossard operating out there we barely made a cross. Both Odegaard and White looked a little lost without their starboy. Trossard looked equally uncomfortable.

We barely had a shot on target in that first half. We could not find any penetration. While we had plenty of possession there was no fluency or speed to our play. And yet, somehow, we managed to go ahead before half-time. Jesus, in the box, put two men on their arses with the second one tapping him on the knee. That was enough for a penalty decision. Without Saka and with Jorginho (thankfully) on the bench it seemed Odergaard would step up. Instead we witnessed the resurrection of the Jesus. Not that I like penalties like that, it was enough to put us ahead. Not quite deserved but maybe it was a result of the cumulative pressure being applied.

Leeds really were pretty good though – in the first half anyway – often forcing both Odegaard and Trossard to put in a decent defensive shift. Odegaard works so much harder now out of possession. And, of course, Jesus, is all over the pitch. His energy is contagious. But it’s important to be able to grind out results. That’s what the leading teams do. So, we thankfully made it to half-time with the lead.

As we’ve seen so often, this was a game of two halves. And in the second one we turned up and resumed where we had been before the break. Our play sped up, our passing was sharper. And, most importantly, Trossard was untethered from the right hand side. He began to float around the pitch and we became more fluid. Within two minutes Zinny feed Martinelli to tee up White at the back post. We were dominant now. With Odegaard and Trossard leading the way, Jesus linked up with Trossard for the critical third goal. At this point the game felt wrapped-up. Another no pressure result, a nice stroll in the afternoon. But then Leeds, after making numerous substitutions, managed an attack, a shot and a deflected goal. Now it seemed truly reminiscent of the Palace game. But before the nerves could return, Saka fed Odegaard for a classic cross for Xhaka to nod in. It’s a shame he couldn’t have been on the end of his own cross in the first half when Jesus headed over. Anyway, that just about sealed the game for us.

That was a pretty impressive Jesus performance today. About as good as we’ve seen him. Roaming around the pitch – tracking back to defend in the second half – interchanging with Martinelli. Even if he missed he’s first headed chance thereafter he was involved in everything. I’ve tried to restrain myself in the obvious Jesus and Easter association but it’s fair to say he just about nailed his performance today, no hanging around and helped resurrect us. Yes, I’m that predictable. Sorry.

Anyway, just 9 games left now. And we’re about to enter a pretty tricky phase with some crucial fixtures that will determine whether we can actually win this league. For the moment we deservedly remain TOTL. But now the nerves will come into play. If we look down below, we’re about 3 or 4 games from finally claiming our spot back in the champions league for next season. But if our sights are set higher, then we have to find a way to grab points at City, Liverpool and Newcastle. That will define our season. And, by then we’ll need our Big Willie back. I do hope someone is taking good care of him. Because, as much as Holding is a solid player he’s really not at the same level. We saw that in the run-in last season. And we saw that again today. And there’s a knock-on effect to Gabrielle and White. Against better and sharper teams Holding will inevitably be found out.

This team is so far head of where they should be. If you can ignore the first half, we saw today yet another display of high pressing, high intensity creative football that is only really matched by City. We had no right to expect this quality of play so soon. Nor our position. Arteta has completely reinvented this team. And, as I keep saying, our best years are ahead of us. If we can somehow pull this off and stay top through the end of the year, it will be a springboard for the next 5 years. That is when this team will have fully matured. Look at Klopp’s Liverpool. They had a 5 year run. That is what lies ahead. Our promised land. We just need to keep our key players fit.

Leaving Saka on the bench was largely driven by his cold but was important. We have to be able to function without our best player. And we have to find additional players to support Odegaard and Partey. Because Vieira and Jorginho aren’t enough. Though, that’s a little unfair to Jorginho. When he came on we kept smoothly functioning. Whereas Vieira drifts much further forward compared to Odegaard. I know it’s only his first year but I just don’t think he positionally fits into this team.

But now we have to focus on the trip to Anfield. Unfortunately, they have no midweek games to distract them. Having been dismantled by a Haaland-less City they will be a different proposition at home. Klopp and the Kop will have them fully ramped up and energized for this game. I can remember too many painful performances at Anfield where we were completely overrun. Hopefully, we’ll see this more evolved and resilient Arsenal. Hopefully we’ll have the backbone and grit required. And hopefully we’ll have our big Willie back. Because I fear for Holding against the speed of Liverpool.

I’d hoped that with Haaland and Foden out, that City might slip up. And maybe they still will. They have many more games to play. But they have two full teams to pick from. And, without Haaland, they can revert to their free-flowing play of last year. But, you know, if you want to win the league, you have to be able to get points from these types of games. So, with nine games left it’s going to be a nerve tingling, bum scratching, intense few months.

It’s not possible to expect us to win every remaining game. But we can also hope that City can’t either. We need them to continue in the F A Cup and the Champions League. And we could do with someone tackling Rodri the way Rodri tackles our players. He really has turned into a thug. A fitting replacement for Fernandinho.

I’m not used to this tension so late in the season. It’s been nearly two decades since we were legitimately challenging for the tittle in April. By now we’d normally struggling to get into the NoHoppaCup. Instead, we have to remind ourselves this is what we should aspire to; that we should embrace the fear and nerves. At least though Arteta knows what involved. As do Zinny and Jesus.

So now we have another 7 days off until Sunday. Enough time to place our Willy in the cryogenic chamber. Enough time to bring in the witch doctors. Enough time to pray to Jesus. As Easter approaches we can at least expect Jesus to use his powers to help our Willy. Because we’ll need him on Sunday.

In the meantime, again, continue to enjoy being TOTL. We’ll be there for at least another few weeks. I’m off to light some incense and engage Buddha for our Willie.

-LB7

TOTL until April. And 8 points clear. For the second game, both London derbies, we dominated and deserved to win. This is a team that’s fun to watch. Now we have two weeks of hoping that none of our key players pick up injuries on irrelevant international matches. It’s bad enough we had the season fragmented by the corrupt World Cup. Now we lose momentum for two more weeks. Hopefully that’s enough for Saliba to regain his fitness.

It’s always a little nerve racking when Holding starts in defense. But you have to say, he really does sport a lovely head of hair. He has so much now that he has to wear a Grealish-like Alice-band. To be fair, he was pretty solid today only diving into to one reckless tackle. Palace had a few early chances. Zaha, on a breakaway hit the post care of an excellent save from Ramsdale. That moment changed the game. As did the Saha miss in the second half when it was 3-1.

Ramsdale, who has been the backbone of the team this year, suffered some abuse because of the goal on Thursday. First off, let’s also note, that we are way better off out of that stupid competition. No-one cares about the NoHoppa Cup. Though, just maybe, it will be a valuable lesson for our young manager as he plans for our presence in the Champions League next season. The different systems and tactics that we’ll face. Along with the deeper squad that we’ll need. This will have been an experience that he will surely channel into next years plans.

Yes, it was annoying to lose after extra-time. But it was far more irritating to lose both Tomy and Saliba. So, even though, their goal was not Ramsdale fault, it serves to remind us that there remain a number of Arsenal fans – those ones who were toxic to Wenger and toxic to this club – that are still with us. They will turn as quick as a wheel given any disappointments. These fans are spoilt children who suffer from entitlement and have no understanding what supporting a team entails. But enough about those wankers. Today was a day to again celebrate a great team, a great manager. And a great right-back.

What do Maguire and Dier have in common? A few things actually. They are both shit. They both play for shit teams. And they both get selected by Southgate ahead of Ben White. How is that possible? Today, Ben White was impervious. His defense against the best player on Palace, Saha, was formidable. And his creation of the Saka first goal, quite Odegaard-like. How he’s not on the England team is perplexing. But at least he won’t get injured in some irrelevant, meaningless international game. All we care about is the Premier League. These random international matches really need to be isolated to pre and post season so we don’t disrupt the rhythm of the Premier League. But the corrupt FIFA knows no bounds – its sole objective is to milk the game for as much money as it can so it can line the pockets of the various FIFA delegates.

Saka, initially, seemed off his game. Mitchell is a decent full-back and Saka seemed to have no luck with his passing or moves. But, still, he was able to set up Martinelli for that all important first goal. Beautifully taken with his weaker left foot. Again, after the disappointment (though not mine) of his missed penalty on Thursday, this was the goal we needed to create some day-light against a decent team. I think it was our first real opportunity.

This team though, once they get one goal, continue to press for the next. And Palace now had to open up a little bit more. But it took until just before half-time for White to unlock their defense for Saka to get his first goal.

Throughout this game Partey and Zinny dominated midfield. Xhaka continues to stroll through game now opening up the left hand side. The only fear was that he might have picked up a knock. But he was able to put in another excellent performance. Palace, in the second half, to their credit, still tried to play some football. We continued to dominate. Our team functions so smoothly now. Everyone seems to understand their role. The ball moves seamlessly from front to back. The interplay is quick and smooth. And this is a team that still has yet to reach its peak.

Finally, care of Zinny and Trossard, Xhaka was able to get our third.

There is a case that Partey is our player of the year; if not Saka. But for me, it’s Zinny. The intelligence he’s brought to this team along with his reading of the game have helped Partey elevate his game and liberated Xhaka. I feel sorry for Tierney. When he comes on, he just can’t live up to that level of play. He looks a little lost when he plays inverted. He can defend more capably but he’s out of his depth in this new Arsenal team.

There is a calmness to this team. An inevitability. There was not too much doubt how this would turn out. Annoying as it was to concede yet another goal from a corner, and even when Saha missed his second chance, you felt we’d find another goal. And this one came via Tierney for Saka. I don’t quite get why VAR did not rule Jesus out for offside but then I’m not complaining. This enabled us to settle back down and enjoy the three points.

Trossard again played the false 9 as well as I’ve seen anyone. It’s hard to think of a better Arsenal January signing. The fact that he’s keeping Jesus out of the team is both good for Arsenal and good for Jesus. He needs time to regain match fitness. Trossard drops deep so often to collect the ball and link up play.

Odegaard came more into the game as it progressed and continues to work so hard. Right at the end of the second half when it could have got a little nervy after their second goal it was Odegaard back defending in our penalty area.

Some of Ramsdale distribution was laser like today. In the first half he picked out Martinelli and then Saka in the second. Again, Southgate somehow picked relegation bound Pickford and wooden Pope ahead of Aaron. That makes no sense. Southgate can’t possibly believe that Maguire and Pickford are superior to White and Ramsdale.

There’s little to say about this team that’s not been said before. Aside from reminding us to pinch ourselves. With ten games left, we’re still TOTL. We have at least three key fixtures ahead of us – all away – at City, Newcastle and Liverpool. So, we need a nine point cushion. And we need Saliba back.

There was a time today, when they nicked the goal at the corner, when I starting to feel uneasy. You never know with a 3-1 scoreline against a team battling relegation. They could have picked up another two goals and left us with a 3-3 draw. And, then, who knows, maybe the manager would have a meltdown. He’d blame the owners and the selfishness of the players. He berate everyone and anyone and refuse to acknowledge any blame that he might carry. And then I woke up from that nightmare daydream to remember that our team has actually won multiple trophies in the last 20 years and are on course to compete for the league title. And that the shambles down the road, having appointed their second narcist manager of their last three, are again imploding. It does make you laugh out loud though. How utterly predictable and pathetic that lot are. All talk and not action. All postering and hot air. It’s remarkable what a mess they are. And how thoroughly enjoyable it is to watch.

A moments thought for our original Vieira. How is it that Palace could fire him before this game? With no-one lined up to replace him? After, arguably, the toughest run of fixtures anyone’s had this calendar year. Not once were they trounced. They obtained creditable draws and, when losing, it would be by a solitary goal. They barely invested in their team this year. And yet, they fired him. To replace him with geriatric Roy Hodgson? Who, most recently, helped get Watford relegated? I’ve always had a soft spot for Palace. But, after unjustly dethroning the original Vieira, I’m now conflicted as to who should be relegated along with Southampton and Bournemouth. Thankfully, common sense prevails, and it’s still going to be the boring, overly-physical Everton that should go down with these other two.

In the meantime, poor Sambi will be wondering what has happened to his future. With Paddy there, he could learn from the best and develop his game. Sufficiently so that we could sell him for a tidy sum. Now he’ll likely linger on the substitutes bench instead. Where, hopefully, our own Vieira will stay. It was reassuring that he did not get any minutes today. I caught a few of his minutes on Thursday and all I saw was the same ineffectual, soft and peripheral contribution. By contrast, once he was replaced by Odegaard, the team started to function smoothly and threaten Sporting. Then again, I’m more than thrilled that we did not make it through to the next round.

We know now what we need to do for the rest of the season. We need to get down on our knees – whether it be to Jerusalem or Mecca – and pray that City survive Munich and get to Champions League final. And then overcome mighty Sheffield in the F. A Cup. We need City to have as many distractions as possible. While we can focus on our ten remaining games. And, just maybe KDB, Foden, Haaland and Rodri can all pick up some injuries during these worthless international games.

So, please enjoy the next two weeks while we wait for mighty Leeds to venture to our home. Enjoy the free-scoring Arsenal. And enjoy our perch at the TOTL.

• LB7

TOTL. Still. And for another few weeks with the impending international corruption break coming.

If last week was heart-pumping, thrilling and stressful. The this week, against a very serious, capable Fulham, was no-drama, serene and like a marijuana induced trance.

Though Fulham pressed high up for the first ten minutes or so, thereafter, we proceeded to carve through them at will. The first half was basically the only half. The third goal deemed the second half irrelevant. By then though, Trossard had delivered three goals for his teammates.

If you consider we could have paid three times as much for another Ukrainian, you realize how fortunate we were to have him. Plug and play, ready for action. He has fit seamlessly into this team. And he wasn’t even supposed to be fit for this game.

With Saka having a (well deserved) quieter game and Martinelli showing only a few flashes of creativity, it was left to Trossard – with help from the midfield – to set up this victory. Xhaka had already played one precise and intelligent pass through to Martinelli to get our first goal before it was deemed off-side. But from that moment on, we turned up the speed of interplay and crated numerous chances.

Odegaard was given the time and space to open up their defense. Partey was at his majestical best and ZInny roamed around at leisure.

The closest Fulham came in the first half was when Ramsdale lingered to long on the ball – twice – and created opportunities for them. Beyond that though he did not have a save to make.  

In seasons past our corners struggled to get past the first man. Now though, there is a degree of inventiveness that would do Apple proud. From the Zinny goal at Villa to the routines we now witness, it’s hard to predict which corner routine will be next. But, today, it was a straight-forward in swinging Trossard corner that landed right on Gariel’s head and then into the net. I have expected VAR to claim White had breathed on Leno to nullify the goal. This though was a classic example of Leno’s blindspot. A great shot-stopper sure but he’s always been a little vulnerable from corners. Never one to dominate the box. This was a header inside the six-yard area.

Thereafter we continued to create. The interplay across the entire team was so smooth and quick. One touch passing and movement. It was a pleasure to watch. Xhaka again released Trossard to stand up a header for Martinelli. And then, right before the end of the half, the third goal; the game ending goal. This was a classic example of the poise and maturity of the team. It started deep on the right-hand channel involving intricate passing while Fulham tried to apply some pressure. Saliba then release a sumptuous cross field ball to Xhaka who again, immediately released Trossard. The transition from front to back was so smooth and rapid. And eventually he delivered the ball over the hapless Robinson to Odegaard, who, calmly as you like pulverized it past poor Leno.

Up till then it seemed we were never destined to get that third goal. We created so many chances, Trossard failed to actually score, breakaways seemed to petter out. Xhaka had a chance to score a Wilshire-like Norwich goal but took one touch too many. The level of play – and relaxation – was of the highest quality. The rhythm, speed and movement was as good as we’ve seen this season. Obviously Fulham suffered due to the lack of Willian. Their game-changer was unable to perform his magic. But we were. That first half performance was utterly dominant.

Having watch dour City this weekend, there was only one team that looked like league Champions. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. It won’t take more than one slip up to lose this title. But the quality of play and understanding of this team is at another level now. None of the silly mistakes or momentary lapses in concentration – even if the bar did have to help us out (along with Saliba reflexes) – that we witnessed last week. Or in mid-week; not that I watched the No-Hoppa-Cup match. I think Ramsdale had one real save to make in the second half. Even though Fulham came out with more energy and thrust, we managed the game through quite easily. We could have scored more but the game had been won in the first half.

We were even able to get Jesus some minutes. Naturally he should have scored as well. But having him back – along with the addition of Trossard – now gives us options we’ve been lacking. I’m not sure what the status is of Eddie but now we have cover. And, additionally, ESR did not get any minutes today. We saw Nelson earn some deserved minutes. He also setup Odegaard to blast one over. Tierney got some minutes as well. Along with Tomy. Tierney even managed a few forward passes.

I do feel a little sorry for Tierney. From previously being a mainstay of the team and potential captain, he’s not struggling for minutes. Not only is Zinny playing his position like he’s from another planet but Tomy seems a more solid option as the replacement. The quality, speed and intensity of play has shifted in this team so much. Bombing up the left-wing and firing in crosses is not sufficient any more. The level of interplay and movement required is at a level Tierney has yet to adjust to. Not that I’d look to off-load him. Whatever the out come this year, we’ll need a deeper squad next year. And he should remain part of it.

Aside from the pure pleasure and enjoyment on that first half performance it reminded me of the seismic changes in the style of our play. It’s worth remembering how we used to play both before Arteta – in the era of the Accountant – and in his early years. Even going back to the injury blighted performances of last year. They seem National League-like in comparison to what we’re now witnessing. This team is playing the highest quality football in the league. And not just based on league position. No-one entertains like our Arsenal.

And that’s down to Arteta. It’s remarkable how he as remade this team; how he’s remade this club. The key and brave decisions he’s taken. And the commitment to a style of play. While other teams waiver, Arteta has remained true to the spirit of Wenger. Where others aspire to playing entertaining football, he delivers. And this team is not finished yet. Our best years are still to come. This team is maybe, two years, away from reaching it’s peak.

I don’t want to get too far ahead based on the adrenaline of todays performance but the Champions League will ultimately be the challenge this team will have to rise to. Rather than Sporting midweek we’ll be playing Milan. But rather than meekly defending and whining about various players (te he), Arsenal will be entertaining. That’s for next year. Let’s hope we enter that competition as Champions.

In the meantime, we kept a clean-sheet. Ramsdale should value that because he came close to throwing it away. But the defense in front of him was barely troubled today. White was back to his solid best. Gabriel and Saliba were able to manhandle the ugly Serb and Zinny had the freedom of the park.

And we scored three goal for two league games running. We have the creativity and capability I’ve not seen in this team for a long, long time. And though Torssard will rightly get the plaudits, and Odegaard, Zinny and Partey will also bask in the attention, I wanted to focus just a little on Xhaka. Today he was truly excellent. Finding pockets of space on the left and setting up Trossard. Xhaka was the vital supply-line. His journey from immobile defensive midfielder to the creative role he occupies now is entirely down to Arteta. From Wenger, through Ljunberg and the Accountant, no-one played him in this position. It’s Arteta’s vision that unlocked this new Xhaka. And today we again saw the benefit.

We did not even need to wheel out Jorginho today. Hopefully he plays midweek. We need to preserve Partey, to wrap him in cotton-wool. Today he was again exceptional. So understated. But so important to this team. His vision and passing is unparalleled. As was some of his close control and back-heels! Keeping him both fit and away from any Casemiro red-cards will go a long way to determine whether we can win this league.

Only 11 more games left now. 11 more games to either enjoy or suffer. But this team has also far exceeded expectations. And they are a pleasure to watch. They make you proud to support Arsenal FC. Now let’s hope we survive the NoHoppa Cup so that we have a full-team for the visit of Palace. We’ll have two Vieira’s in the house. Let’s hope neither is required on the pitch.

So, here we sit, TOTL. And for the first time, I feel that this team really is capable of holding on. Which, of course, means I’ve jus jinxed them. And, after the end of season implosion last year, I know I should hold my optimism in place. But after a performance like today’s, why not revel in it? This team is something special. As is our manager. And not special in a Mustafi or David Luiz or some of my kids type of way either.

-LB7

OMFG. That was incredible. The beauty of this game. To snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Unbelievable. Maybe, just maybe, fate is on our side. At one nil down I thought we could win but at two nil down I thought we’d be hard pressed to get a draw. And, then I figured we’d need a penalty. We had about 5 shouts today of which we should have gotten one.

This was even better than Villa – if that’s possible. Both the Villa game and this one will help define our season. In both instances, karma – through the additional time added for the relentless time-wasting, came back to haunt the opposition.

It’s hard to know where to start after that. Nothing can capture the sheer joy of this victory. The unbridled happiness Reece Nelson created. The crash of the back into the net and the resulting mayhem. Me – I was jumping up and down like a demented moron (which, to be fair, is my natural state). How can you not love this team.

There’s so much that could be said but who gives a flying fuck. Honestly. If I could only bottle that feeling when that ball went in and then sell it on the interweb at www.fuckmewegotthreepointsandwecanactuallywintheleafgue.com.com or (www.FuckTheLeague.com for short) I would be a wealthy man, or, just happy for the rest of my life. I could even consider ranking this higher than the most important things in life such as bacon, eggs and my wife (not that I’d join those three together on one plate). I’ve excluded my children from this list because (1) they don’t read this blog (2) they are not yet at the level where they can read any words longer than 4 letters and (3) well, because there are just a little bit ratarded. I digress though. This was a miracle result. Completely unexpected up until that Nelson shot. And implausible until White scored on the 70^th minute.

Where to start? Maybe team selection. Given the fixture list, it makes sense to rotate I’d guess. But it did not work. Not hard to make that claim given that they scored after 8 seconds. The second fast goal in the history of the ELP. After the demolition of Everton, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say no-one saw that coming.

Wednesday was tough for the first 40 minutes up until the Saka magic goal. But here, after the one goal start that we were generous enough to provide, we fell into the same style as Wednesday in that first 40 minutes. We possessed the ball but created very few outright chances. And yet, unlike Wednesday, Bournemouth had a couple of breakaway chances. In fact, throughout the game they had chances. Way more than Everton. But this was always about us and our ability to actually test their goalie. I think we had one outright chance in the first half.

In hindsight it’s easy to pick holes in our play. But, you could see that with both Tomy on the right and Vieira on the left, we’d lost that creativity and drive that Xhaka and White provide. Then within 20 minutes we lost Trossard. It was good to see ESR but you knew he would not be able to last the balance of the game. Let’s hope he’s not out for too long now because I fear Trossard could be gone for a few weeks or at least until the annoying international break.

We must have had 15 corners today. We tried every variation known to man kind and produced nothing. They go up the other end and from them one and only corner make it 2-0. Sure, Partey lost his man in the same way Saliba did for their first, but I won’t actually blame either. Because they are my favourites.

Then the game changed. And it was driven by Arteta’s substitutions. Two goals from two subs with Nelson involved in both. And boy did we need that today because it seemed there was no way we could even buy a goal. So, after all those tricky corners we finally scored from a direct one from Odegaard with ESR setting up Partey to make amends within 5 minutes of their second.

Nelson injected a little more directness on the left. He was able to provided crosses and push them back. And it was his cross that set up White for the equalizer. At that point you felt like we should take the point and run. But, as Bournemouth wasted more time they helped us with that additional time. Odergaard’s shots and free-kicks today seem to either hit the goalie or Row Z. Martinelli had few opportunities. And Saka was quiet today. I had assumed he’d need to produce some magic to win this game. But he barely shined today. He looked tired. And, in the first half, he was not helped by the presence of Tomy. And you could see the difference when White came on. We were sharper and quicker on the left. Though I thought Odegaard continue to flit around without producing that killer pass.

On the other side we had to watch Vieira pass sideways and backwards. It’s during games like this you realize the important of Xhaka. I know Vieira needs more time. Or so I’m told. But I’m not sure if, by the time the universe has expanded so that there are no visible objects in the sky, that Vieira will have developed his game sufficiently. He was unable to provide any vertical passes and consumed the space that Trossard and then ESR operated in. You could immediately see the difference when Xhaka came in. He passed the ball forward and found the gaps ahead of him.

So, neither of those selection changes worked for us today. But, somehow, we got away with it. It just all felt a little too slow in the first half and then only when we went two nil down did the urgency seem to come into our game. But with Odegaard and Saka not firing on all cylinders and Vieira adding no value whatsoever, it seemed like we were destined to drop three points to one of the worst teams in the league. Imagine the pressure and criticism we’d have faced. City would be barely 2 points behind. Our lead over them would essentially have evaporated.

But Nelson – as a replacement for the replacement – managed to help dig us out. Even then you can’t point to too many direct chances – aside from the numerous penalty shouts. This though is what a team needs to do. If you start the game half asleep and give up a goal in 8 seconds, you have to find the spirit and fight to recover. Twice now we’ve pulled it out by the same score line. Even though it was a joy of my life to see the ego of Martinez provide our winning goals, this shot from Nelson will long live on in all our memories. And from a player who has basically been injured the entire season. This was, I think, he’s longest time he’d spent on the pitch this season.

We need Jesus to come back; he can’t be hanging around any longer. With Eddie injured and now possibly losing Trossard as well as ESR (again) our forward line it looking pretty sparse. So having Nelson contribute for this game is vital for today and for the next twelve games. I just worry that ESR is our new Wilshire. Destined to have a career blighted by injury. Or maybe, he’s turn into Rosicky who, finally, overcame his injuries to be a mainstay of our team.

Chris Kavanagh, while calling a reasonable game, with reasonable decisions, completely failed to keep the game moving along. From that first goal onwards, he allowed them to waste an appreciable amount of time. From lying on the ground faking injuries, to their goal-kicks to their throw-ins. I don’t understand why linesman can’t use the white spray to indicate where the throw-in should be taken from. Instead, we had to watch them waste 20 seconds on each thrown and also steal 10 yards each time.

And in the first half, when, again, Saka lost the ball on the edge of their box. One of their players fell down injured. It did not stop them counter-attacking and nearly scoring. And as Arsenal countered, they all expected us to kick the ball out because their player was still down. And then they surrounded the ref to complain. Let’s see if the FA fine them. I think we know how that goes.

After the joy of demolishing Everton, in the second half at least, today seemed like it would be gentle, relaxing easy three points. The way we played on Wednesday, the rhythm the team found seemed to assure us we’d breeze through this game. And maybe, just maybe, that sentiment seeped into the mentality today. No-one – apart from White and Nelson – seemed entirely at their best today. Even Gabriel and Saliba had one mistake in each of them. That is, aside from the time that Saliba allowed the ball to bounce and then cleared right to their man, he remained majestic. And Gabriel, whos’ distribution is improving – because he finds Zinny or Partey now – put in another solid performance. And we should not forget the important save from Ramsdale who remained a spectator for most of the game.

Then there is Zinny. He ignited us on Wednesday and was key again to driving us forward. As impressive as Xhaka has been. As exhilarating as Saka has been. And important as Partey is, Zinny has been the surprising gift of the year for us. His creativity, experience and drive has far exceeded any expectations. And when you put Xhaka alongside him instead of Vieira, we function and flow. Long may they both stay fit. Yes, I know, I just jinxed them.

As I said, it seems fruitless to try and dissect a game as insane as this. The crowd were immense and deafening – even through the TV. There seemed to be a belief this team would be able do something. Whereas, from my couch, it seemed we were banging our heads against an effective brick-wall. And then all hell broker loose.  

I’m still in shock as I belatedly write this up. I don’t know how we got three points. I do know though that we’re still TOTL. At least for a few more weeks. And the remaining games continue to shrink. And, back on planet earth, I have to remind myself that the objective for the season was to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2015-2016 season. That seemed like a stiff ask at the start of the season. But here we stand, 15 points or 5 games clear of 5^th place. That’s beginning to feel like a pretty healthy buffer.

It’s getting pretty close to the point, now that we’re basically 2/3rds of the way through the season, where you can look at future games and model the possible points. That’s fruitless though. All we need is (1) for our key players to remain fit (2) for VAR to actually award us some penalties and (3) for Jesus to return ASAP.

So enjoy the rest of the day and just know that nothing you experience this weekend can come close to the exhilaration you experienced this morning. The absurd, unreal emotions of this morning will inevitably give way to the humdrum pattern of normal daily life. But there was nothing normal about this morning.

-LB7

TOTL still. For another week at least. This was not an attractive game but at least we avoided the stress of last week. Winning ugly is fine. Not that we were that ugly. Well, not until the last 20 minutes.

Eddie was left on the bench and given the upcoming Everton game and the glaring misses of the last few weeks made sense. With Trossard playing more like a false nine we played more like Man City than they do now.

We dominated possession for most of the game. We fluently moved the ball around against a Bolton block. Leicester left Tielemans on the bench with other attacking players and clearly missed Madison. This left all control to us. We tried to pass our way through them – searching for that perfect final pass or that delicate flick.

Unfortunately, very little came off. Saka, who was fouled just once today, was off his game. He seemed hesitant and nothing he tried really came off. Not that Odegaard was able to get the ball to him. But when Saka was put through by a gorgeous Jorginho pass he dithered and was unable to get a shot on goal. And his crossing was wayward today. Whereas on the other side Martinelli was having an awful game. He was unable to beat his man nor put in decent crosses. He played backwards too often. And when he did have a chance to shoot, he’s composure let him down.

Yet we still dominated. With Trossard drifting out wide it was not clear where any goal would come from. For all our possession their crap goalie had not faced a single shot. For all our intricate play, our first real chance came by way of our corner routines. Last week it was Zinny and this week it landed to Trossard to open the scoring.

Until that is that VAR intervened. Using a sub-atomic microscope and x-ray vision, VAR decided that their crap goalie had been impeded by White. Unseen to the naked eye VAR believed that White was holding hands with Ward. This is where VAR oversteps its remit. How this was clear and obvious when it was impossible to see is beyond me? And even then, when you consider the normal contact in the box, it’s inexcusable to cancel this goal out. Later on, in other areas of the pitch we saw way more obstruction and holding without any fouls being given. I just don’t understand what the purpose of VAR is. It’s not supposed to re-referee the game. Yet that’s what seems to be happening. I know I’ve said it’s a work in progress. Take the long view. In 5 years time it will have been perfected. But it just seems that we now have multiple refs for each game. One on the pitch who is accountable for their decisions. You can boo them, shout at them and abuse them. And then you have a referee deep in a bunker somewhere with undue influence and no clear accountability – well, aside from Mason being fired.

Anyway, a perfectly taken goal by Trossard was nullified. Within minutes Leicester had a breakaway. Even to the untrained eye Iheanacho was a mile offside. Even a blind man could see this. But the linesman refused to put his flag up until he’s put the ball in the net. I mean, what the fuck is the point in this? There was absolutely no doubt this man was offside. By a country mile. Why let play continue? Who knows what might have happened. Someone could have got injured. Maybe they’d get a corner or foul and score from that. I just don’t get it. And yet, later on, the linesman used his flag immediately. This has to get sorted out. But, of course, it won’t. Not until we sort out the PGMOL. And that will take years. They don’t even have a website. They operate much like the Kremlin. Just without the firepower.

Which nicely brings us to Zinny. Captain for the day, he continued to push us forward. With Odegaard being anonymous and lacking a threat through the middle Zinny continued to spray the ball around. Alongside him Jorginho continued to make me eat my own words. He shone again today. He moved the ball quickly, closed down the opposition and played some excellent passes. He really has slotted in so seamlessly. You forget he’s only been with us for a month or so and this was only his second start.  It’s inconceivable that Sambi could have contributed in the same way. Jorginho’s passing is so simple and clean. He helped build momentum and pressure from his deep lying position.

Unfortunately though he had a tendency to overpress. Twice in the first half (as he did against Villa) he got drawn to a tackle on the edge of their box. In an attempt to keep them under pressure he would try to win tackles so high up the pitch but twice he lost these and exposed our defense to the counter attack. Fortunately, without Madison, they lacked guile and creativity so weren’t able to exploit these mistakes. Then in the second half twice he was exposed behind White when he failed to track his man. Overall though he was more than an able substitute for Partey. And when Partey did come on Partey looked way off the pace. This man looked rusty. There can be no doubt he was not ready to start and is lacking match fitness. My guess would be that against the Bolton block that we’ll see from hapless Everton, Jorginho will start the game again.

Leicester were so poor that Ramsdale did not have a shot to save for the entire game. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen that. I can remember one shot they had that went wide but nothing else. And a lot of that was due to Gabriel. As they applied more pressure towards the end he remained solid and resolute. Alongside him Saliba looked more assured than the previous weeks. Ably marshalling their muted attack and handling the few counter attacks they had.

Right as the second half started, Xhaka won possession, passed to Gabriel who then released Trossard who feed a speeding Martinelli to slide the ball beyond Ward for our solitary goal. As poor as Martinelli was today this was a fine goal indeed. Perfectly placed, Henry-esque, into the far corner. This priceless goal changed the dynamic of the game. Until then it looked like we’d be faced with a bore draw. Soon afterwards, Rogers started to make numerous changes. Finally they opened up by bringing on more attacking players. We continued to dominate but still failed to put our chances away. Zinny had one nice shot but we remained vulnerable to the type of shock that Forest pulled off last week.

As the game moved to the final twenty minutes we moved more into a game management mode. Except that we started to lose control of the game. Passes were astray, tackles lost and our composure disappeared. The game became very fragmented with many fouls being called. But through all this they barely threatened. I can’t even remember them having a corner. We replaced Zinny with Tomy. Poor Tierney does not even get on as left-back cover. He must be really desperate now. And then Partey joined the fray replacing Odegaard. Odegaard seems to flit between brilliance and anonymity. And today it was the latter. Everything he tried failed to come off.

So what did we learn today? That winning is all that counts at this stage. And winning ugly is fine. Because that last 20 minutes sure was ugly. We also learned that Eddie has to fight for his place again. And that Martinelli, though he’s scoring again, has lost some of his mo-jo. And that Jorginho was an inspired signing. Just as I’ve always said.

This team continues to develop and learn. And it’s certainly easier now with the leadership that comes from Xhaka, Zinny and now Jorginho. Having a few grown-ups is no bad thing. We’re still two transfer windows away from being the ultimate Arsenal team. Today it was vital to find a way to win. Even with VAR against us, we managed to get those all important three points. In prior years we’d have left with a draw. Especially after the dodgy run we’ve finally come out of; I hope. It was not always pleasant to watch at the end but we did not managed to turn Leicester into Forest.

As for Leicester, they are too good to go down but Rogers has to play his best players and play to win. He came out way too defensive today. Only in the last 15 minutes did he try and attack and pressurize us. But they should be safe this year.

So, now it’s onto Wednesday night against Everton. Our make-up game. It’s critical we win this. Well, that’s true now for every game we play. After that painful loss to them we know what to expect. But we must extract retribution. We should start Eddie for this one but we can’t afford him to miss chances. They will defend in the usual mode of a Dyche team. It will be turgid and physical. This has all the hallmarks of an ugly game. They will not come to play football. Gaining three points will be critical for us with the added benefit that it might help them get relegated. They deserve it. It could not happen to a more worthy team. But we now they will (literally) fight for everything on Wednesday. This will be physical – more akin to a war than a football match.

Whatever happens though, we’ll end the week TOTL. Again. Who would have thought?

-LB7

And, yes, we’re TOTL again. An amazing change in fortunes over the last four days. From the despair and suffering of Wednesday to the suffering and relief of today. From the dark side into the light. From the poor second half on Wednesday to the absolute control and domination of the second half today. Truly two games of two second halves.

We deserved everything today. Not that it was imaginable that we’d come away with three points each time they took the lead. At best, all we could hope for was a draw. Yet, as the game developed so did our control and domination.

As with both games, the absence of Partey dominated the pre-game news. We are a different – and inferior – team without him. With him we purr but without him we stutter and drop points. And with the run we’ve been on it was mandatory we had him. Last season we lost out on the top 4 because of his injury. And to win the league he is a basic requirement for this team. This team can’t purr without him. He is the critical cog in our wheel. He is the player we are most dependent on. He is the player I have been worrying about all season. The fear of losing him for any period of time. And now we’ve lost him for that period of time that is crucial to us. Not having him against City and now Villa put us in jeopardy.

Somehow, and unlike Wednesday, we managed to take control of this game in the second half. Not that we weren’t on top in terms of possession in the first half. It was just more incisive in the second half. We created more chances and pinned them back. We were able to find our rhythm today in a way we weren’t able to in the second half on Wednesday.

But, after the abject disappointment of Wednesday, to find a way back against Villa is a testament to the reliance and drive of this team. I’m sure listeners were skeptical when they heard Arteta say he was more proud of his team after that defeat. Today I think we saw why. Their ability to come back from the abyss was electrifying. Make no mistake, if we’d have lost this game given our current run of (lack of) form, it would have placed everyone under massive pressure. It would have brought into question all the progress of this season.

When we were 2-1 down I was already taking solace in knowing that we were essentially unplayable for the first 18 games. That we’d won the league for half the season. That we had half a cup in our cabinet. Which, let’s face it, is more than that lot down the road. I reminded myself that we had no right to expect this team to be at this level at the start of the season.

Yet somehow we found a way back. It took a little longer than it should care of Eddie. Poor Eddie. He can’t buy a goal now. After missing two critical opportunities on Wednesday he then proceeded to pass up a few more today. In fact, he was even less involved today, essentially, anonymous. He did though miss a glorious header that was eventually ruled offside from another White cross. Then in the second half he had a header that hit the crossbar. And finally at a critical time in the game, he was put through by Odegaard , and failed to get a shot on goal.

I know Eddie has scored some important goals for us this season, but we really need to speed up the recovery of Jesus. We can’t afford for him to be hanging around any longer. We need him back. But I fear that’s at least 2 more weeks away. And even then, he’ll need time to readjust. In the meantime, let’s hope that Eddie is about to explode back with some well timed goals. Because, today, he was pretty crap. Sorry, but it’s true.

Let’s start though with our first goal. It began with White. As with most things in the first half. We made two changes from Wednesday. White and Trossard. And White was key today. It looked like White of old. He helped link up Saka. Who, between numerous kicks and fouls, tormented Villa. And, in one perfect stroke, showed Eddie how to take chances. A perfectly placed volley that flew past the dive-for-cameras Emi.  

Saka was, as ever, brilliant today. It also showed his commitment. After being hacked to pieces and limping for most of the second half he chose to remain on the pitch. He should have been subbed after 30 minutes in truth. Apart from the gulf in class and the difference in cost, on Wednesday you saw the two most fouled players in the league – Saka and Grealish. You had to remember, on Grealish’s old stomping ground, that neither of these two get the protection from the referees they require nor deserve.  And to hear the Villa crowd boo-ing one of the key English players of his generation when they had cheered Grealish for so many years, just confirmed their stupidity. Somehow Saka found a way to remain on for the entire game. It’s amazing to watch his development and growth. He is a monster.

White was extra important today because with Odegaard being pretty quiet most of the game, he was the one who supplied and involved Saka. Whereas Trossard, starting his first game, seemed to withdraw into his shell. He seemed reluctant to be as aggressive as he had been coming off the bench. As such, our left hand side was subdued for most of the game.

Sure, Ben got roasted for their second goal. But then we’d already been exposed right through our midfield prior to that. In the second half, he continued to supply Saka and create more opportunities for Eddie. I thought it was the right call to bring in Tomi on Wednesday but that turned out to be a disastrous move. He gave them the first goal and helped deflect their second as well. Maybe it was good to rest White. Today he was a monster for us. And, even when he was substituted, Tomi came on and played with more conviction and support than on Wednesday. Maybe MA knows his players and knows what he’s doing.

And our other full-back continued to help drive us forward. It’s hard to believe that before today he’d not scored in the Premier League. What an important goal that was. At that point, with our missed opportunities, I could easily see defeat staring us in the face. We’ve played a number of interesting short corners of late. We tried a few in the first half that didn’t come off. But this one was perfect. Zinny struck is so sweetly and it was a just reward for our second half domination.

It’s fair to say I was not a happy camper when we signed Jorghino. In fact, I was adamantly against it. I despise taking Chelski rejects. And this one, an aging, slow midfield player was not one that interested me. Not that I wanted to play over the odds for a pubescent Brighton midfielder. And, seeing him in place of Partey on Wednesday in my mind, assured us that we would not function against City. Not that it was his fault entirely. And then again today,  I remained unimpressed by him in the first half. He seemed too slow to jump into tackles he could not win and failed to play enough forward passes.

But, for one 45-minute period I might be wrong. In the second half he controlled the game and pulled the strings that Odegaard failed to do. He linked up play and intercepted their moves (well, most of them). And then he sealed his place in this new team with the perfect strike to earn three points.

And how absolutely wonderful was it that the shot came back off the crossbar to then ricochet off of Martinez into the goal. It was stunning to see karma in action so clearly. It could not have happened to a more annoying and arrogant ex-Arsenal player. We’ve had to suffer playing against Adebayore and his infamous slide when he scored for City. And, of course RVP. But Martinez after 10 years at Arsenal he has shown his true colours – that of an ignorant, arrogant, egotistical narcissist. Someone to genuinely be embarrassed about and someone who’s easy too despise. So, thank you Emi for your heading us back to the top of the league. We appreciate your dedication to Arsenal. And Jorginho, welcome to Arsenal. I knew you’d fit in.

And contrast, up the other end we had Ramsdale to thank for pushing a shot onto our crossbar from Bailey. He was not at fault for the goals on Wednesday or today. But he made a couple of pivotal saves today that kept us as float as the game opened up. It’s pretty clear who you’d prefer to have as your goalie. And who fits into our team chemistry.

In front of him Saliba and Gabriel are stil having to deal with their joint dip in form. On Wednesday Gabriel was lucky to stay on the pitch. In addition to sloppily initiating their important second goal, he also nearly gave away a penalty and picked up a booking. Today he was more solid and dependable. Saliba got exposed for their first goal and looks a little down on confidence and assurance. Some of his original initial composure seems to have evaporated. Of course, for a kid in his first season in this league he’s more than entitled to a dip in form. This is what he – and Gabriel – will learn from. They were bossed by Toney of Brentford and then had a difficult time with the monster from the Great White North on Wednesday. But today, it was a different proposition. After those two goals they seemed to find their groove again.

Our substitutions were interesting today. Martinelli was energized when came on and reminded us of his form earlier in the season. It made sense for him to be on the bench. Let’s hope it restarts his season. And, by some miracle, even bringing Vieira contributed. Unlike his recent performances and his feeble free-kicks, today he played through a Odegaard like pass for Martinelli to put the icing on the cake and relive and residual pressure on us.  Maybe with 15 minutes here and there Vieira find his role in this team. But we need ESR back; just not as much as Jesus.

Odegaard was very quiet in the first half but was more involved in the second. Not that that can excuse his, essentially, open goal that Eddie created for him. It was his pass that set up Eddie for another one of Eddies’ misses. Alongside him Xhaka, who was our best player on Wednesday, was somewhat subdued but was able to play further up the pitch today. I think he suffered from not having Martinelli alongside him. But maybe that’s a little unfair on Trossard. I suspect though he’ll be back on the bench for the next game.

What a contrast to Wednesday. This game could turn out to be pivotal for our season. Not just because we climbed back to TOTL. But we stopped the rot. And we scored four goals. This seemed like we found our way back. Of course, Arteta says he saw this on Wednesday – and even against Brentford. Today we saw a backbone that we didn’t display last year. Last year, without Partey, when the going got tough we vaporized. Today, we showed that we’ve evolved. Twice we fought our way back. And then proceeded – in the dying minute – to demolish them. This was reminiscent of our last minute Man United victory. This is what Champions do. Not that we are there yet. We need Partey and we need Jesus. In no particular order. But I’ll take Partey first.

A great day to be an Arsesnal supporter for sure. And when you look around the league you have to laugh. Out loud. After Wednesday, it’s funny how City can drop points at Forest. Even funnier to watch Chelsea just drop. Potter will be released back to the wild soon.

For our game, thankfully, VAR was not involved. And it’s good to see Lee Mason “retired”. There has to be some accountability. Even with the Super League being discussed again it is the inconsistent standard of referring that needs addressing. There are too many important mistakes. Not just us. And it’s not technology fault. It’s always people. And in this case unaccountable, underperforming and unqualified hidden figures someone in the deep in the bunkers of middle England. Even today, in various games, offside decisions that are clear to the naked eye take too long and disrupt the celebrations. Automate it or get rid of it. And lets choose automation please. I know I’ve always said that we need to give VAR tie to bed in and evolve. It will get better. Just look at rugby, cricket and tennis. But it’s the people who are the problem. Let’s mic up the VAR referees so we can hear their deliberations. That would provide transparency and accountability. They would no longer be able to hide their incompetence. Also, why do we need ex (crappy) refs to be the VAR refs? Why can’t ex-players or anyone with judgment and understanding of the rules make these decisions. The ones that are not automate-able? I have some faith in Howard Webb. He is trying to be more transparent. It’s only been a short-time for him. So let’s see how far he takes this.

What a great game today. What a great performance. And an even better result. It was a vital win. It broke the run we’ve been labouring under. And it showed the spirit and strength of this team. This was a challenge we rose to. And, around us, others faltered. How everything can change in just a matter of a few days. The wonders of the Premier League.

So, after the trauma of Wednesday, here we are. Back where we belong. Still TOTL.

-LB7