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TOTL. And that was easier than expected. There were some nervous moments but finally we remembered how to score and dominate. After the last few weeks, I’d figured this would be a tiresome game with an obstinate, defensive Forest proving tough to breakdown. In the previous four games we’d started to show some fatigue. This seemed the game where we could take a wrong turn and veer backwards. It’s all relative, of course. You could run me over with a bus and chop off my legs (please place them carefully somewhere so I can reattach them) but I’d still have the joy of the first eleven games. So, I went in with low expectations. And by half time I was genuinely nervous.

We dominated the first half. Forest were as advertised. A latter day Bolton. Banks of defenders looking to score from set-peices and our mistakes. And there were a few care of a White/Partey mix up and then a classic Garbiel moment of suicide in the box. Overall though we came out the blocks fast and sharp. And within 5 minutes our youngsters had combined for a brilliant headed goal. Martinelli had evolved from last year and he’s still a baby. I’m not sure he’s allowed to go out at night. But what a header; all care of Saka. At that point you figured we’d dominate and run up the score. Instead, we had to watch as we missed too many chances.

Poor old Jesus, he is fated to never score again. Fortunately, he can still set up goals. Hopefully he knows more than us and has decided to break his goal drought next week. But today he found numerous ways to not score.

A moment of thought for Saka. At one nill up losing him did not bode well. I bet few people expected to see Nelson emerge as his replacement. It felt to me that this could turn into one of those games where we let them back in; just as we did last week. For Saka, this was quite upsetting. He has been targeted by every team we play. He’s normally the first person on Arsenal to be fouled. And sure as you can set your watch by it, he was immediately fouled to start the game. I suspect that was the kick that hurt the most. But within 20 minutes he’d been fouled three times. No yellow card for anyone. This boy screams out for protection. At least that knuckle head is no longer at Villa. Instead, we’ll have the pleasure of seeing the accountant return to lead them. But back to the game.

The rest of the first half was one way traffic – aside from the mindless pass by Gabriel in the penalty box. Once Lingard spurned that chance – though, it was White that threw himself in to block that shot – you felt we’d likely be safe. How passive was Lingard generally. There’s a boy who’s career was blessed by being at United, raised on a pedestal because of that club and has since flattered to deceive. Anyway, once we got through that moment of madness – we are more or less guaranteed once a game a Gabriel moment of suicide – we remained in control if somewhat ponderous and slow.

Halftime was worrying; thinking about the lack of Saka, the introduction of Nelson who immediately seemed to play too narrow and thus force our creativity down the left-hand side. I could see Forest undeservedly sneaking back into the game.

Whatever Arteta said at half-time he should copywrite and franchise. The second half looked entirely different. Of course, it helped that Forest continued to give us space to construct their demolition. And it turns out Nelson is not half bad. From being surprised and concerned about his appearance I quickly pivoted to demanding that he replace Kane in the England squad for the WC. Not just one goal but two and then an assist! And the second was a little more intriguing. And real opportunist goal. A delicate touch with a late arrival into the box. That first goal seemed to transform him. From the first half when he seemed scared of making any moves. Where he passed the ball sideways and backs to remembering that he could take on players and create. From then on he shone bright. Even when moved over to the left hand side to accommodate the ineffectual Vieira. Nelson today, hopefully, marked his formal arrival. Of course, Saka will consign him back to the bench where, hopefully, he will soon be rejoined by the beaming Elneny. But today Nelson made a real difference. Maybe that’s the diference between playing with the second string in the NoHoppa cup and playing with the big boys against the Mighty Forest. Many have often worried what would happen once we lost Saka. And today we found out.

After that cameo, it was one way traffic. Forest were pretty abject but that was also partly down to the majesty of Partey. I was in shock at the amount of space Forest continue to give him. In the first half they remained fairly close to him but by the second half there was rarely anyone within a 20 yard radius from him. He controlled the game and purred. And then, unbelievable, he scored another picturesque, curling goal. Twice in one season. And no injury yet. Could this still be our Partey? Reality returned towards the end when he reassuringly tried another shot that ended up in row Z. Phew, normal service was resumed. He shone so bright today. Effortless and simple. For that second goal you could see the vertical progression from Ramsdale simple throw to Partey who then perfectly threaded the ball through to the rejuvenated Xhaka. That pass split their defense and lead to Jesus realizing that he was not destined to score and set up Nelson instead.

The defense was not really tested accept when we decided to test it ourselves. We created their best chances from our own mistakes. But thankfully in the second half there were none. Aside from that moment Gabriel was unchallenged. In the first half there were too many times where the ball was at his feet as we looked to progress the ball whereas in the second half it was, thankfully, others. Alongside him Saliba was as majestic as ever. And then there’s White. It’s impressive to see how he’s settled into that right back position. It was harder for him once Saka went off, with no clear outlet in front of him, but he still shut down anything and helped create. And then, once the game was won he switched back to center half and effortlessly controlled the defense. And don’t forget that block in the first half when he threw himself at the Lindgard shot. How can White not be going to the WC? How can Southgate not pick this guy? Maybe we’ll benefit by keeping him fresh but given his ability and versatility it’s amazing to think he won’t make the squad while the chin that plays for Man U might not only be in the squad but the starting eleven. Oh poor England.

The demolition of Forest in the second half makes up for the lack of goals in the past few games. It was a pleasure to watch. Much like most other games this season. We just seemed to find another gear. There was a fluency, speed of movement and actual finishing. Well, apart from poor Jesus. Surely, he will score again in the next few years. You’d hope so. But in the meantime, he continues to create and set up others. Two more assists today. One of which set up twinkle toes Odegaard to crush the net. Our captain was fairly quiet today but it’s always good to see him actually take a shot – especially with real venom.

You have to feel a little sorry for Tierney. Not only did he not start. It seems pretty clear he’s lost his starting position to the reliable Tomi. But now even Cedric comes onto the pitch as a substitute before him. Oh, how painful must that be. I’m sure though that was just to give Cedric some minutes. Tomi is still figuring out the whole inverted full-back thing. He’s getting more involved in the creativity thing but when Zinny is finally back it will be interesting to see who starts.  

Arteta even sat down for the last 10 or 15 minutes today. That’s how assured we were and how tame Forest were. I have no idea how Forest managed to win against Liverpool. It must have been like winning the lottery though because they had nothing today. They seemed destined to return to the Championship. Surely, they will get relegated. They are the worst team we’ve played. Leeds, who were excellent against Liverpool yesterday, are miles ahead of them not just in terms of talent, work-rate and commitment but in terms of how Leeds actually try and play football. We can officially anoint Forest as this years Burnley.  With the same destination.

So, the accountant has landed at Villa. That will be a match made in heaven. They resemble Villareal and Seville in many ways. He also follows on from a Philistine who thought in terms of blood and guts. Actually, it’s not clear he thought. But the accountant will make them a more competitive team and allow them to become a solid mid-table team. He’ll need a little time to work his system and organization into that team. It will be a shock to the players to have some actual tactics and adaptability. He’s earned his right to return after getting the Champions League semi-final. Whatever he accomplishes though I will forever be relieved that we relieved him of his duties with us. Arteta is our savior and he was never going to be. Arteta had the backbone to stand up and insist on his methods, belief and the players he wanted. Two different styles; two different philosophies. And, depending on the club and their expectations, each could be successful. But at Arsenal it’s Arteta that works. And, it turns out, it’s happening quicker than we had a right to expect. And not just in terms of points and position in the league. But, more fundamentally, the way we are trying to play; the way we are trying to entertain; the way we are trying to dominate and impose ourselves. It won’t always work. As we saw against Leeds and Southampton. And that’s why today felt like a potential banana skin. Last season we’d go on those winless streaks where we’d seem to decay and deteriorate. But today we saw the new Arsenal. With better players and more experience. More experience from our 21 year olds.

So, aside from the Thursday distraction, it’s all eyes on Chelsea. We can’t hope for last years performance and result. They will surely react to the disaster in Brighton. And hopefully we’ll have Saka back. And this would be a nice time for Jesus to rediscover his scoring touch. Potter will be tactically fluid and we’ll have to adapt. This will be our last major conflict (no offence Wolves) before the infuriating WC. Two more games to see whether we can enter the WC period TOTL. But, in the meantime, we can remain content that we will, remarkably, remain TOTL.

-LB7

TOTL still. But a wasted chance to increase the gap. This was another game of two halves. Or rather the first 25 minutes and then the rest of the game. Today was a dose of realism. You can’t win every game. Especially if you don’t take your chances.

Again, we started the game with energy, domination and control. We were clicking and tearing them apart. We took the lead – deservedly – when White combined with Saka to deliver the perfect cross for the goal scoring machine that is Xhaka. Two goals in two games. And, more to the point, the only goal scorer in our last two games.

During the first half we were a pleasure to watch. We moved the ball quickly with Partey at the center of everything. His passing was, as ever, quick and instinctive. Everything about the team looked easy. Except for scoring. In periods such as this we have to convert our chances. Today it was not just Jesus but Odegaard that failed to take their chances. Martinelli, who I suspect was not fully fit, had moments of brilliance. Some of his close control is breathtaking. But he also had a few chances today. But overall, we looked like a team that could win the league. The play was incisive and intelligent. This team has improved so much over the last 12 months it’s unrecognizable.

Unfortunately, in the second half we started to see elements of old Arsenal. This was reminiscent of last week against Leeds. Ironically, we were better than then but this time conceded a goal. It’s not like they peppered us with shots and had multiple chances. This was, I think, their first or second shot on goal. If I was to be critical – not that it’s in my sweet demeanor – both Party and Xhaka failed to pick up Armstrong as he came from deep. But it was a decent goal to be fair. By this time we had wandered into that Leeds-like situation where we could not retain possession. The smoothness of Partey was missing and we ceded control of the game. Odegaard was not impactful in either half and seemed to disappear in the second. Martinelli was not getting the ball and Jesus continued to get manhandled up front. That’s not to say we were as poor as last week in the that second half but it was unlike our first half performance today. We lacked cohesion. It was frustrating to watch.

Our defense, like last week was pretty solid. There was a period in the first half when they had about 6 or 7 consecutive corners. Each one, either Ramsdale, Gabriel or Tomi seemed to win that first header. The defense was barely tested – apart from the one time Saliba misplaced a pass. Gabriel was as solid and as focused as I’ve seen him. White, after setting up the first goal, was largely untested whereas Tomi provided his normal defensive cover. In the second half it seemed he tried to play a more Zinny role in possession – sliding into that midfield inside-left position.

The progression in Xhaka this season is remarkable. Aside from his second goal in two games, I thought he was our best player today. He finds himself in more advanced positions and, especially, as Partey faded, it was Xhaka who would drop to receive the ball to start any creative phases. His passing was crisp and his vision sharp. It’s a shame that Saka was barely involved in the second half – maybe because Odegaard disappeared. But we have to learn to take our chances. There were times – as much as Jesus is an infinite upgrade on the extinguished Cigarette – when he looked more like the Man City version. That forward who needed too many chances in order to convert one. His energy remains infectious and he elevates the quality of the entire team. However, it would be nice to see him return to scoring ways.

In the past we have wilted and withered against Southampton. Some of our more embarrassing defeats have occurred here. So, I suppose, as a glass half full person, we should be happy that we did not find a way to lose. It still felt that we were the only team capable of winning this game. And this is a long season and we can’t expect to win every game. But, against a team like this, we should have. We should have put it away in the first half.

It feels like we’re suffering from a lack of rotation. Too many of our key players have to play too many minutes. Arteta made the substitutions he needed to. Tierney added something when he came on but Vieira and Eddie were pretty ineffectual today. In particular Vieira never seemed to adjust to the pace of the match. To win games like this you need to be able to change the game from the bench and today we could not. Which also explains why so many of our keys players are not rotated. We just need greater squad depth. It’s all well and good Arteta saying they should be able to play 70 a season but that’s bullshit. But he has to say that. He needs a couple of more transfer windows.

How funny was it to see Theo come on as a sub for them? His man-bun seems as retarded as ever. As was his Oscar performance dive that was rightfully rewarded with a yellow card. Unlike the one Saka received in the first half when he was actually fouled. Theo could have played their man through but chose to take a dive; unfortunately this is his level. I’d always had a soft spot for him but he never really evolved as a football player or as a fashion icon.

We can take some solace from the results around us. That lot got shredded at home care of their great captain and Cech-like distributor of the ball. We should be slightly more weary of next weeks opposition after they stole a victory.  It fees like this season the chances will be there for us to get that top four position. We just have to ensure that our key players stay fit. We can only pray that Ghana get eliminated in the group stages of the corrupt world cup. At least none of our players will be required to work there and build stadiums.

Today is not the end of the world, though it was underwhelming and pretty disappointing that we dropped two points. But given the stunning start to the season it seemed inevitable that we’d drop needless points somewhere. It’s typical it would be against a workmanlike team like Southampton. But it’s not down to them; this was on us. We lost our rhythm and balance. All the things we’d be so good at in the first half vaporized in the second half. It did not help that the referee was pretty useless. Letting some quite physical challenges go unpunished – including potential penalty appeals. But, it’s still down to this team. The one actual real shot we had came Tierney who set up Odegaard after the ball had gone out. And that came from a long ball out of defense. We found it much harder to construct anything once Southampton changed their shape and flooded the midfield. But that second half was not enjoyable to watch. Quite frustrating in truth with that fear we’d implode and not even leave with a point. I’ve not really felt that way. Well, not since last week against Leeds.

So that’s three games in a row where we’ve managed to only score one goal. One from Saka and two from Xhaka. Clearly we need to sign Kaka (if he’s still playing). Hopefully Jesus will rediscover his scoring touch and that both he and Martinelli will be rested on Thursday. Obviously, Saka will play the entire 90 minutes, pilot the plane there and back, wash everyone’s kit just before cutting every blade of grass at the Emirates. Because, I mean, why would we rest or protect him? He is indestructible – ok, I know I just jinxed the poor boy. So, please leave him at home as well – I’m sure we won’t. We have a few keys matches now to pad our points total. So let’s not waste the chances. At some juncture these other teams will get their act together and we need as many points padding as we can get. Watch that gap.

In the meantime, we remain – just – TOTL. Enjoy it for another week.

-LB7

Still TOTL. Somehow. That was close but care of Saka we found way to hang on. For sure, last year we’d have lost this game but somehow we managed to scrape through. As impressive as we were in the first half was followed by a meekness in the second half. It was this years Arsenal in the first half and last years in the second half. But, with a little luck, we still managed to win and stay TOTL. Somehow.

What a weird way to start the game. No power but only effecting the communication and VAR systems. But, boy, did we need it today. We weren’t impacted by the delays and quickly asserted ourselves as we have done this season. There was some wonderful interplay with Odegaard at the center of it orchestrating everything. Rapid one-touch football that played through their lines so sweetly. On the wings Martinelli continued to torment their backline. Partey was smooth and Xhaka was roaming freely. Tommi, who held onto his left-back spot looked a little less assured than last week.

We had the dominant possession and though clearly superior did not create too many outright chances. Until Rodrigo decided to assist with a perfect cross-field ball to Saka. Odegaard then played a typical Bergkampesque-pass to allow Saka to smash the ball into the top corner. Perfectly taken and not dissimilar to his Crystal Palace goal at the start of the season. It was thoroughly deserved and likely the platform for us to go on and score more.

The second half was an entirely different game. We could not possess the ball. Our passing was astray. The White we saw in the first half disappeared in second. He could not make a pass and got exposed down the right hand side on numerous occasions. Jesus, who was less involved than normal in the first half was unable to keep the ball in the second. Odegaard was hardly present and often gave the ball away cheaply.

The tempo was set within the first minute. With Bamford now on the pitch, we dithered down the right and before you know if Bamford had the ball in the net within a minute. But, with the power on and Paul Tierney recognizing that he still owed us from last season against that lot, rightly ruled that Gabriel was pushed off the ball. That should have been our wake-up call. Instead for the remainder of the half we found ways to make so many mistakes and hand them the momentum.

Ramsdale, who made a brilliant save in the first half during a scramble after a corner, was again crucial  to keeping a clean sheet. In front of him even Saliba was making mistakes. Bamford had another chance when Saliba gave it away. And this time Ramsdale literally put his balls on the line for the team. I kept expecting Arsenal to wake up but we seemed completely over-run. This was a different, more aggressive Leeds. Whereas they sat off in the first half with a half-block, now they harried us all of the field. And we could not control the ball. It just seemed inevitable that they would equalize and then go on to win. Beyond these two chances they had so many other opportunities. Not least of which was the penalty. This one we could have few complaints about. You could see on Saliba’s face right away that he knew he was in trouble. After defending so resolutely it seemed such a shame to give it away so weakly. Initially it looked like he found the corner of the goal but somehow though Bamford managed to miss. Unbelievable.

Luck seemed to be smiling on us today. Leeds kept pilling on the pressure and we kept giving the ball back to them. Arteta then made the right decision to take off White and swap Tommi to the right and bring on Tierney. That would surely solidify the defense. But Tierney had been watching us carefully. So about the first thing he does is try to chaperon off a ball before then deciding to blast up field right to a Leeds player to allow them to launch another counter-attack.  Clearly we were determined to self-destruct. We kept passing to players who were already under pressure and could never find a free man.

Partey had no time on the ball. Leeds swarmed around him. Leeds finally started to play a high press game. Replacing Odegaard with Vieira did not help. He barely touched the ball. Eddie for Jesus also made sense except he does not charge around or work as hard as Jesus. Nothing could change the momentum of the game. We just had to hang on. Even throwing Holding into the mix. But somehow we made it onto the final minutes of additional time. And then, Gabriel got entangled with Bamford and foolishly decided to kick-out. The linesman then made the call for Kavanagh to send off Gabriel and award a penalty.

Yet again Tierney (Paul not Kieran) came to the rescue. Not only did Kavanagh overturn the red card (and left Gabriel to play the next three games) but also overturned the penalty decision. Which, frankly, had made no sense anyway. There was (another) clear push by Bamford. Just like for his first disallowed goal. To be fair to Bamford, he caused chaos for the entire half and gave Gabriel a torrid time. But, how stupid was Gabriel to even lash out? In the last minute after defending so stoutly? He could have thrown it all away in a second of madness. But, with the power on, VAR was able to rescue us again. Though I’d like to know how the linesman saw the kickout but not the original push by Bamford. And did you notice how Xhaka, captain for the substituted Odegaard, took control of the situation with Kavanagh? Displaying all the traits of a real leader he pushed away everyone and took control of the players. Though it was inevitable that it would be reviewed, Xhaka made sure the right things were done.

By this stage, I was already pulling out my remaining hair and teeth. As serene as the first half was the second was painfully reminiscent of last year. We seemed intent on self-destruction. Leeds just refused to help themselves. And Gabriel needs to evaluate his performances. They are too littered with needless mistakes. Today, unfortunately, those around him seemed to try and emulate him. Except, that is, for Martinelli and Ramsey. Big balls (if slightly bruised) Ramsdale saved us today. Along with VAR. In fact, VAR has come to the rescue a number of times this season. It’s inevitable that we’ll soon suffer at the hands of VAR. And remember, when we do, we’ll always have Leeds. A nullified goal, an overturned red card and a cancelled penalty. So much for suffering from the cancel culture.

I truly have no idea how we won this game. It was thoroughly undeserved and made no sense. We were pretty awful in the second half. They dominated and we flailed. But through a combination of VAR, luck and lack of quality in finishing Leeds were not able to exploit their chances. It’s a game like this that makes you laugh out loud – but only on the final whistle. And also make you realize that there is definitely something brewing in this team. How else can you explain the three points. Last year we were a one half team. And we’d have lost this game. This year there is a resilience and determination. And luck. And a lot of luck.

It’s remarkable that we’re still TOTL. And what a contrast, performance-wise, to last week. But, for a team to be successful you have to be able to win games like this. When you’re backs are against the wall, you have to be able to eek out those undeserved victories. We’ve seen plenty of examples where we’ve lost games where we deserved to win (see the game at ManU this year). And it also speaks to the mental strength of this team. They dug in as best they could and held on. That is an achievement that was beyond us previously. So, in a weird way, todays victory was more satisfying than last week. Sure last week I was buzzing for many hours after and proud the quality of our football. Today though was more of a reality check in a hostile environment. And we passed – just – the test. Not that Gabriel did. Hopefully it will instill both more confidence in this team and also add to their collective experience. This is still a very young team. And it’s important they learn how to win games where they are getting battered. Thankfully we had the sparkling Saka goal to hold onto. It’s just a shame I had Rodrigo in my fantasy team.

I do have one recommendation for this team though; they have to hire a throw-in coach. Because we seem to take forever to figure out how to put the ball in play and yet nearly always turn the ball over. Poor White has the jitters when throwing the ball in often taken multiple minutes trying to figure out what to do. Given that he’s not played right-back for that long, someone should help him figure out what to do. I am, of course, available for a nominal fee.

And no review would be complete without the obligatory rant about the camera work. I get that Jesse March is the new boy in the league but why must we see a shot of him after every piece of  action. The new thing is to first have a close up of the person last involved in a piece of action. As though it’s important to capture that moment when the players head explodes squirting out heaps of nice, juicy red blood. But is then followed by any opposition player who might have been involved. We get these juicy close-up shots that last for ten plus seconds. And, finally, we go to the obligatory shot of J. March in his lovely fitting jeans. All the time, the game is proceeding but the director or producer is more concerned with some reality-like show human reaction from the manager. And there was I thinking I was there to watch a game of football. I can’t wait for the introduction of either picture in picture or for viewers to have the ability to select a camera view of the game. Both of which have been technically feasible for 10 + years.

Today we were saved by VAR and a large dose of luck. And yet, we are now TOTL by 4 points. This team has something in it. There were periods in the first half where we looked like potential champions. Maybe the travel and trials in Norway took their toll in the second half. Maybe we’ll see more rotation in the future or less time in the NoHoppaCup games for our key players. As I keep saying, this team actually needs another year or so to mature further. But I’ll take results like today. So, thank you for turning the power back on at Elland Road.  And let’s enjoy and revel in our good fortune and position. For we are, yet again. TOTL.

-LB7

Happy happyiness with a dose of happiness to everyone. The last time I felt this good was when we trashed those wankers last week. This was both an impressive result and a ridiculous game.

But, first, I feel like I owe an apology for this late posting. Especially after such an exciting game. Normally I would have been truly eager to put my random, disorganized and random (sorry, did I say random already) thoughts in writing. But, like Mustafi, it was not my fault. For this I blame one of my defective offspring (for I have many).  I was forced to journey off-site away from my TV and thus had to watch the game, as best I could, on my phone. I was though able to re-watch the entire game on a nice, big screen late last night by which time I had to retire to my hole in the ground in order to replenish my athletic physique. So I blame #2 son. I often do. And it works for me. Because I’m such a wonderful father, I was forced to put family before Arsenal. That won’t happen again.

24 hour later though, the glow has not disappeared. That was a brilliant performance. I had a nagging suspicion we would win. Liverpool have not quite found their mojo this season and we certainly have. But the manner of this victory was just so impressive. The energy, the skill, the interplay culminating in such attractive and entertaining football is not something we’ve seen at the Emirates before. Sure, round the corner at the former home of football (aka Highbury) but not here.

And it literally started from the first minute. What a way to start a game. We have seemed to start every game this season with this approach. Credit to Arteta for that. But more on our little-Pep later (if I don’t forget). From Saliba, via White to a borderline offside Saka and then Odegaard onto Martinelli’s right foot. Breathtaking. The speed and incision. We out Liverpooled Liverpool. This is what they’ve done to us for so many years at Anfield. This was as good a game as Martinelli has produced for us. He was a constant thorn in their side. His energy levels were like that of the Energizer Bunny. This boy is relentless. He gave AA a torrid time on the right. Inconjunction with Jesus and Saka, the three of them terrorized their defense. We consistently pressed and forced them backwards and sideways.

Behind these three nearly every player performed at the highest level. Unfortunately Gabriel was the exception. This boy has a nasty habit of making crucial mistakes. He was very fortunate to get away with a handball for a penalty. But then casually stuck out a boot for a long-pass from AA that result in Saliba being pulled out of position. And Gabriel was too slow to realize he needed to cover his man. And then they were level. Poor play from him and frustrating. This though was the only black mark on the team. We continued to work our way back and put them under pressure. Then the industrious Gabriel released Martinelli who eventually feed Saka to regain the lead. It was noticeable that Gabriel was up there to dummy the ball for Saka. But this goal reminded me of “that” goal against the wankers in white at their place when it was Henry, Bergkamp and Viera hitting them on the break. That’s a pretty high bar I know. But, for this game, we felt like a complete team. And, unlike last week when we had to play Bolton in the NLD, against a real team. And, though not firing on all cylinders, a very good team at that. Watching Thiago made you appreciate the contribution of Partey. They both play a similar position. As smooth and silky as Thiago is, he has the lump Henderson alongside him whereas Partey has to cover all the defensive work himself.  Partey, aside from the odd missed tackle, is pivotal to our team. He plays these vertical passes that open up the opposition and yet strolls around, reading the game to be in the right position to break up their play. And this allows us to release Xhaka from any defensive duties and the resultant yellow & red cards.

Back to that second goal though, that all started with Jesus. No goals yesterday but he was all over the pitch. There were times when Liverpool broke fast and that he, Jesus, was in the right back position defending. You would not have seen that from Cigarette or OhHe’sAtChelskiNow. Jesus put himself in all the right positions and buzzed around their defense. Sure no goals, but he electrifies the team and the crowd.

Saka continues to evolve and rediscover last years form. Two goals and, again, requiring them to have two people mark him. Alongside him the impressive White not only provided excellent defensive cover but managed to overlap and provide yet more attacking options. It’s noticeable how his relationship with Saka is blossoming. I know that some people, early in the season, were highly critical but those idiots clearly don’t know the game. White has excelled. And, as mentioned, even the conservative Southgate must pick him. This game highlighted the contrast with AA. I felt a little sorry for AA. He had to deal with Martinelli and was not helped out by his other defenders. All the focus is on AA. Yet Van Dyke was way off his game yesterday. It feels like he’s on such a pedestal that no-one can question him. But it was Van Dyke who played Saka onside for our second goal. As Saka ran into the box VD followed and kept Saka onside. And, for that first goal he did not close Saka down either. But AA will carry the brunt of the criticism. But then, that’s their problem.

This was as good a performance as I can remember – it’s up there with last years away win at Chekski. But Liverpool are a different proposition even if when they are slightly off the boil. Look how they controlled stretches of the game. So many parts of our team purred along. The quick, simple interplay – usually with Partey involved allowed us to create so many chances. Whether it was the always impressive Saliba starting the movement or Xhaka opening up their right hand side. And then there was Odegaard slicing them open. It was a joy to watch.

And then there is the resilience. In previous years there is no way we would have found a way to come back to regain the lead so many times. We’ve seen this in other games this season. There is a belief and determination. Each time they equalized we found ways to step up our intensity and find a way to score. And, at the end, we even seemed to understand how game management should work helping to see the game out. It was a little nerve wracking sure but this team has evolved. It does not mean – even with all this gushing – that we’ll win the league. We still might not even make the top 4. We’ve seen too many collapses to know better. But it does feel like this team is different. Even if we are susceptible to an injury to Partey.

But look at depth we now have. For instance, how inspired was the decision by MA to put Tommi at right back. He completed controlled Salah. The end result was he barely had a shot on target and, even when they were behind, being withdrawn. Tommi won every header and provided important stability on the left. Sure, with Zinny, we would have had more attacking intent but given his injury that was not an option. And, as much as I love our own Ukrainian, that was blessing in disguise.  It still allowed Xhaka to roam on the left without having to worry about Salah. Tommi is a certified star. Just keep him fit please.

Behind them all we had the limping Ramsdale who is so desperate for attention that he had to fake out a little injury early on just to make us even more nervous. His distribution was excellent and he made a few important saves. Ramsdale and the back four really do function like a unit now. In fact, this whole team excelled. Again, unlike last week when we played against a parked bus, this time it was against a genuinely impressive, talented team.

And this falls at the feet of Arteta. He make all the right selection decisions and adjusted our formation as the game went on. He has built something that we’ve not seen in a decade. And, though I still don’t expect too much more this year, it’s the platform for great things. One or two more signings along with further experience and maturation and this team will excel. The quality of play, the attitude and the fight come directly from MA. I’m sure we’ll have hick-ups along the way – we’re too young to be this good consistently. But even in the NoHoppaCup with 8 replacements, the style and approach was the same. Just like the Man City backup eleven.

A word or two on VAR. We rode our luck. Gabriel could have been called for a penalty. Even our first goal could have been pulled back for Saka being offside. And then our penalty. All three decisions went in our favor. Let’s remember that. Because it won’t happen again. The weird one was the first one. Because of the way the technology works with various cameras, it turns out Saka was out of frame and they were not able to draw a line to see his position. So they had to go with the on-field decision. How amateur is that. This is a billion pound business. But they lack the requisite number of cameras. The sooner they auto-mate offside the better – even if it might have worked against us yesterday.

Have no doubt though, we were the superior team and we completely deserved to win. And, to his credit their Nazi was very gracious in defeat. He could have lamented VAR but did not harp on it too long. This guys is a class act. And an entertaining one. The sooner he can leave Liverpool the better.

So, yet again, here we sit, Top of The Table. Ahead of everyone’s favorite to win the league. Of course, while we have to venture up to the White Walkers of the frozen north this Sunday, they have to play Liverpool at Anfield. Hopefully Liverpool can extract vengeance on them. Maybe they can tie down their Norse god, cut his hair and sap his strength. Who would have guessed we’d have been top at this stage though? It would be nice to last just a little longer. Fortunately, we don’t have to play them until sometime in 2023. By then, if we’re lucky, they will have all their players injured in the world cup – except their big, beasty center forward won’t be attending. As brilliant as he’s been, it has to be said, he really is quite an ugly basterd. I know, pretty childish. But that’s what you can be sure to get here

So another wonderful weekend. It’s so refreshing to be so proud of the players, the manager and the overall club. Entertaining and exciting football. It’s stunning when you consider the transformation of this team over the last six months. And, as I keep saying, this journey is by no means over. Another transfer window or two, a little bit more experience for the cresh at London Colney and this team can genuinely compete. But first it’s off to Norway. BTW, this lot aren’t so bad for Norwegians. Their current manager is sure to end up in the Premier League at some point. So that game won’t be so easy. And then back to the league. My only wish is that we can remain top going into the world cup. The longer we can stay there the more likely it is that we’ll qualify for the Champions League. That still has to be our realistic objective. That, and keeping Partey fit and Xhaka from being sent off.

-LB7

And this is what it’s all about. Happy October. Dominated, dictated and deserved. There was only one team and one team bus today. It was one-way traffic. Clearly superior, we got the result we deserved today with only one team on the pitch. And we’re still TOTL.

Eight games in – 21% of the season – and we’re still top. That’s got to be worth something. A little piece of a medal. Or early qualification for some useless third rate European competition.  Not that I expect to retain this place come end of the season. But, in the interim, how much fun is this? Watching this team is starting to feel like a throw-back to the best AW years. Obviously, we’re not there yet. We’re still very young, lacking in experience and are short of being the finished product. But, days like today re-enforce how much progress we’ve made and how much further we can go.

Right from the start – again – we controlled the game. With Zinny, Odegaard and Partey returning our balance was re-established. I’m not sure any of them was entirely fully fit. The first two were relatively quiet by their standards. But Partey shook the world to its core when he not only got a shot on target but actually scored. And a mighty fine goal it was. Surprisingly good in fact. I don’t think we can expect to see that again from him in our lifetimes. And overall, his play was simple and accurate. Zinny dropped into the middle of the pitch often to support him. But Partey picked up Kane when he dropped deep and also overshadowed their ugly Danish midfielder.

Saka shone brightly today. He reserved his best performance of the season for this game. They had to double mark him at all times and thus left others open – such as Partey. Nearly anything good today ran through Saka. He scared the wits out of them. And, along with Jesus and Martinelli, kept them off balance the entire game. I think this was the first game this season in which they did not foul Saka nor pick-up a yellow card. For such a genuinely dull and dreary team such as Sp*rs that is unexpected. They play the most tedious form of football you could see. Blanket defending, little possession and then hit you on the counter-attack. Apart from a stupid penalty, one free-kick and one corner, Ramsdale did not have a real save to make. They have two of the best strikers in the league (including one of the ugliest) yet they insist on playing the most boring form of football you could hope for. This is what happens though when you’re managed by Mourinho 2.0.  

In contrast, we continued to carve them open and entertain. Jesus could have added another in the first half but for shooting directly at Lloris. And Xhaka, who seemed to play in an even more advanced role today, had the freedom of the park. Unfortunately, as well as he played, he was partially at fault for their penalty when he missed controlled the ball. Of course, it was mighty clumsy for Gabriel to dive in and give up the penalty. That’s not the first time he’s done that and he has to learn to be more patient.

He could just look over to his right. Saliba was masterfall today. Aside from one foul and one yellow card, he utterly dominated both Son and Kane. His touch is delicate, his anticipation is beyond his years and his strength allowed him to withstand any bullying. They literally got nothing out of him. And on the ball he’s so calm. He was the best defender out there today. There were a few instances where he was defending one on one and each time came out on top.

Alongside him, White was able to both push up and support Saka and also deal with any counter-attacks. His positioning was excellent and, like Saliba, his distribution was excellent. How this boy was not in the England squad is beyond me. Southgate picks the forehead that sits on the bench for Man United and their reserve left-back, but can’t pick the best English defender that has played in every game this season. But then this is the same manage that put Nick Fucking Pope in goal for two matches and then watched him hand a draw to the underpowered Nazis at Wembley. Pope’s distribution was utterly horrendous. He’s incapable of passing the ball. Whereas, today, we saw Ramsdale play a number of perfect long balls to Martinelli, Zinny and others. Yet Pope – like Pickford – would kick the ball into touch. Southgate clearly has shit in his eyes. From starting Saka at left back to them leaving him on the bench. Only when Saka came on as a sub did England suddenly come into life and should have won the game if not for Dope in goal.

Saka set up the second goal. As they continued to drop further back and allow more space, he was able to beat a few men and cause mayhem in their goal area. Like Dope, Lloris spilled the ball when he should have caught it and then proceed to entirely miss the ball. But as poor as Lloris is – he should also, I think, have done better on the Partey shot and also with Xhakas’ – Romero should have smashed the ball into touch. Thankfully Jesus was there to reestablish the deserved lead. And this guy is their captain. But, clearly, they are a crap team.

Then, of course, we had payback for Rob Holding. There is no version of this world in which that was a straight red-card. It was VAR reviewable but, in slow motion, everything looks worse. It was a poor decision but could not have happened to a more useless player. Royale is pretty gormless and we should forever be thankful that we acquired Tommy and not him. Royale follows in the rich tradition of Auriel and Doherty. Right-backs, who can’t defend that they have overpaid for. It was a stupid, unnecessary foul in a part of the pitch where he did not even need to win the ball. But he was late and high (not on drugs – but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise) on Martinelli’s shin.

But they got what they deserved. They did not come to play football whereas from the outset we played attractive, entertaining football. That is why we watch the game. Who would watch that lot? There’s nothing there. You can’t win this league playing like that. A truck load of defenders – who are not that good – trying to blanket the opposition with no intent to play. They managed to pull it off last year at Manchester City. But who wants to see their team play like that? In the very early years of Arteta he had to set up his team like that. But he quickly evolved. Whereas Mourinho 2.0 has always set up his team like this. They should be embarrassed to play like this. I would hate Arsenal to be anything like this. And when they have genuine forwards as well? What’s the point. It’s unenjoyable and so negative. Sure they could threaten on the counter-attack and against others it might work. But today, we had them completely beaten. We controlled all phases of the game and highlighted the stark contrast between the direction of these two teams. They have won nothing for years and yet this is the best they can offer? Maybe in other games – and maybe at home – they will have more urgency and passion. But today, they were too passive and fearful of us. Maybe they were right to be. But that negative, pessimistic philosophy is not something you’ll find in our team.

Who would have believed we could be top of the league 8 games in? Today, naturally, was a pleasure. Generally I hate these games. Because a referee will intervene, in a Holding-like way – to undermine us. And I despise that lot so much that I always fear the worst – because they just don’t deserve to be in the same elevated company as us. They have no history and no record of success. But yet they think they are worthy. Enough about them though; they are shite. We knew that before today and just confirmed it again.

But we continue to grow and evolve. There is a sense of progress and maturity. Look at the reaction of Xhaka after that first goal. That is leadership. He immediately gathered everyone round him to get them re-focused. Aside from the previously mentioned mistake, he was immense today culminating in the deserved third goal. The additions to the team over the last year have helped rebuild Arsenal. But we’re not done yet. This team has more room to grow and evolve. We are far from perfect. And yet we’re the youngest team in the league. We know we’re vulnerable to the loss of Partey. We are exposed in that position. But hopefully in January that will be addressed. But when you can bring on Vieira, Eddie, Sambi and Tierney as subs you know we’ve developed a stronger team. This team is incomparable to previous years. The evolution is so exciting. And that lays at the feet of Arteta. This is his creation. And we’re seeing the fruits of that commitment to play the game in the right way.

Today was so much better than I could have hoped for. Sure, we beat them last year at home but then they had a clueless manager who was clearly out of his depth. This year they had a manager that actually has organized them. An early morning start that set up an enjoyable weekend for all of us. And, you know what? We’re still Top Of The League. Enjoy it. And enjoy the beautiful game.

-LB7

Yes, and we back to top of the league again. For both August and September. How things can change in a year. Today we were, dare I say, imperious. Even with a few enforced changes we dominated the game, withstood some initial intensity from Brentford and controlled the entirety of the game.

It’s hard to decide who was our best player today. Between Xhaka, Partey, Saliba and Jesus I’d slightly come down on the side of Xhaka. Partey purred today. Today he was so quick and simple on the ball. Often surrounded by one of two of their players he is able to know where he wants to pass before he receives the ball. And no hamstring or thigh injury today. Let’s hope he does not play many minutes during this infuriatingly unnecessary International break. As impressive as Sambi has been, Partey operates at an elevated level. And today he linked up the play effortlessly.

Jesus continues to highlight what we were so lacking last year. A true forward who can energize our team. His goal demonstrated his range of ability. From his delicate chips, breakaway goal and now Giroud-like headers. The pass though from Xhaka was Odegaard-like. He really has been liberated in this new role. Without Zinny to feed him, Xhaka had to play a little deeper at times – something we know can cause him problems. But today he moved up and down the left hand side and dominated the play. Martinelli was a little quiet – he’s allowed a day off. In fact, he should have given us the lead in the first two minutes. That passage of play was an example of the time of control and sweeping, controlled football we’d play throughout the game. It’s just a shame he were not able to convert.

Our opening goal though came care of our Enlarged Willy. Not only did he clock (oh, come on. I said clock) his second goal (ignoring his own-goal) but he controlled the newly called up Brentford forward Toney. There were a number of examples in the first half when Saliba calmness and strength enabled him to prevent any danger. Though the entire game, his reading of the play and position continues to amaze. This boy is a gem. As good a center half as I’ve had in my life-time. I know it’s only 7 games in so I should reserve judgement. And we have (aside from the next game) some big teams to play. So I’ll temper my opinion a little. He’s as good as a center half as I’ve seen in the last 7 games. But money is on my original statement being one I restate later on in the season. Let’s hope he stays fit.

Our defense was completely in control. From Tierney to White to Gabriel we were barely stretched. Ramsdale had but one real save to make. We need to wrap this boy in cotton wool as it’s the second time we’ve seen him holding his leg late on in the game. He is one though I want to see play during the internationals. Not just because he deserves it – he is the best keeper in England but because it’s inconceivable that the ugly Pickford should remain the #1 keeper. There is no comparison between the two. Pickford has no calmness. He’s a shotstopper and a thug. He can’t distribute the ball. And he can’t properly comb his hair. He looks like a hit man from the 1930’s with too much Brylcream on his hair.

And can anyone explain how England continue to pick a center half that can’t even get into the ManU starting 11? And yet, White, who’s played in every match this season, does not get picked. The man with the largest forehead and biggest chin, has not played since being embarrassed at Brentford. So how has Southgate judged whether he is fit and able to play? We know that the man is a donkey in disguise (The Manu player not Southgate). But how can he not have picked White. We benefit because he both gets a two week break and won’t have to socialize/train with the England captain. Sure, I was not happy with his performance against Zaha and Palace in our first game but since then he’s been pretty impressive. Why would you not want someone who can play at either center-half or right back. As opposed to someone, say, who can’t play in any position? Southgate is too conservative. Better than nearly every prior England manager but still too conservative. We saw that in the Euros’ final when he was too scared to win. And this is another example.

Anyway back to today. I can rarely remember us going to another ground against a pretty decent team and totally controlling the pace of the game. Some of our quick passing and movement -again, without Zinny or Odegaard – was really so enjoyable to watch. This is a team that is operating at another level. We have advanced more than I would expected in the last year.  We are a joy to watch. There’s nothing like watching your team win and, at the same time, being proud of the way they play the game. Obviously many people will compare this to our performance here last season. But look the which players were in that team and remain in todays team. Just four – Tierney, White, Martinelli and Xhaka. And it was White’s first game. That’s quite a turnover.

I had few expectations of Vieira today being his first game against a pretty physical and intense Brentford team. But he kept things simple and made no obvious mistakes. It was noticeable that Saka was not in the game as much because of the lack of interplay with Odegaard. But Vieira moved around the pitch and seemed to gradually adapt to the pace of the game. And then capped it off with a glorious goal. One that I don’t think our Norwegian could pull off. It was effortless and seemed to come out of nowhere. And truly sealed off the game and put any nerves to rest. There seemed no backlift or significant power but was perfectly placed. What a perfect start. If it usually takes six months for a player to adapt to English football then we’re in for a treat.

We were so good today that at times I forgot Zinny was not on the field. Nor Odegaard. Arteta got it completely right today. The way he set the team up. It was a continuation of how we played against ManU but this time with the outcome and goals we deserved. There was not intervention by VAR or the referee today. Though, can someone explain to me how in the hell Jesus picked up a yellow card for his only foul in the game? That made no sense.

As much as I hate early games this was thoroughly enjoyable. We completely deserved these three points. And we’re back to our rightful position at the top of the league. It’s only seven games in and I know that’s not where we will finish up. But it’s good to see a gap with the other teams looking to get into the Champions League. We remain a young team and there will be periods where we throw away games and points as we show our inexperience. And let’s face it, we’ve not had Xhaka sent off yet. In fact, we’ve not had anyone sent off. But with that lot down the road due up next let’s see how that turns out. Surely they can’t have Paul Tierney referee that game. At least our Gabriels will all be rested – along with White.

Before we head off into this infernal international break let’s all take a minute to barf out loud about the new Chelsea owner and the bonehead statements emanating from his too-often-open mouth. It’s enough to get Americans in England a bad name. It’s bad enough the Glaziers are at United (or, maybe, we are lucky they are there). At least Kroenke is Silent. There is virtue in that. It’s so embarrassing and squirmy it makes you pine for having an Oligarch run the club. At least we never heard from him. Oh, sure, he might have been responsible for fleecing his nation and supporting a megalomanic, messianic dictator who’s trying to push the world into World War III. But, listen, no one’s perfect. But at least he kept his mouth shut. And all-star game north versus south? Really? He said that out loud? What a putz. Has he no shame. No chance. When the only one agreeing with you is Stevie Gerrard you know it’s a horrible idea. What a moron (either of them). It’s hard enough watching Saka play up front with that England captain. Imagine a north versus south game. Inconceivable. If this is a fine example of his thought process, then Chelski are well and truly fucked. Not that I would mind. I remember when they were a bang below average team before the Russian dollars took Ashley Cole away from us. They deserve nothing less. I just don’t know I can take listening to this big mouth spouting off his ridiculous ideas. He makes Ted Lasso seem pretty intelligent.  How he could have fired Tuchel a few days after the transfer window closed after letting him bring in Aubameyang or paid £60m for the Brighton left-back when he already had another £50m fullback in place. Well, after listening to the latest drivel spewing from his egotistical brain, I think we now have the answer. He’s a buffoon. Buffoon Boehly.

Oh, did I mention, you know, what is it that I wanted to say? And leave this in your head for two weeks. Oh, I know. We’re top of the league.

-LB7

We’re still top of the league. But only just. That was a painful reminder of how far we’ve come but yet how far we’ve yet to go. This is a long journey. Let’s hope we don’t get lost. I decided to wait 24 hours to put pen to paper (well, not literally – neither exactly 24 hours nor pen on paper). We had deserved something from this game but somehow managed to make crucial mistakes

Did I mention VAR?

This was the first game of the season where we did not start with possession domination. For the first 15 minutes they, had more energy, looked fairly decent but did not create any outright chances. We held a firm line and waited. Then we had a counter attack goal, beautifully executed from Odegaard winning the ball back to Saka playing through Marintelli who’s speed and delicate chip was reminiscent of Overmars.

And then VAR gets in on the scene. How this is clear an obvious error? It takes 3+ minutes to decide it might have been a foul. But don’t tell me that’s clear and obvious. That wanker Tierney was two inches away and had eyes on this. He did not think it was a foul. Yet, VAR hundreds of miles away, someone deep in a bunker, decides this was clear and obvious. They spent an extended period looking in microscopic detail for any contact or possible foul. If you look long enough and in excruciating detail, you’ll always find something. Now, it’s clear and obvious that VAR can’t help trying to re-referee a game. I’m sure other teams had more egregious instances of being penalized this weekend. And we will witness yet more as the season drags on. At some point boundary conditions have to be put in place on VAR. Or, better still, take the human subjective element out of VAR. automated offside and maybe red cards but you don’t have to intervene on any and every situation. To be fair this was marginal. It might have been a foul. But so what? It might not have been. And Tierny is there to referee. As painful as that is.

But from that moment on we woke up (in a non-woke way). Odegaard got on the ball, Zinny feed Martinelli and Saka started to rinse their fullback. But aside from one De Gea save with his feet, we failed to test him. We would get close in the box but missed that final pass or shot. Like Bigg(ish) Willy, this time he shrank way from his shot.

And then we were picked off for their first goal. Gabriel jumped in where he should not have; he broke the line. And then the wonderful Zinny got sucked into a central position to leave their tattooed, ugly new forward to slot it past Ramsdale. It was a well taken goal but not exactly deserved and against the run of play.

The second half started in the same vein. You could see that United were lacking in self belief and confidence. We played some nice football. Pressured them up the pitch but somehow lacked that final killer pass or shot. The truth is we did not make DeGea work too hard. But we still deservedly drew level. High pressure and Odegaard playing the intelligent pass through to Jesus for Saka to sniff out a shot. All good things continue to run through Jesus. And both Martinelli and Saka were tormenting their full-backs. We just needed to be patient. And then Sambi mis-places a pass to Jesus in their half and they counter-attack again. White was caught out this time (and for their third goal). But when we, like Man City, play such a high-line, small errors will be costly.

Back to reality. That’s what this game was. I believe we were better than United. But we did not earn the right to win. We made two many mistakes. Aside from our defense mistakes, in hindsight, Arteta should not have made 3 substitutions at once. And not then. We were still in the ascendancy. They hit us on the break for the second. But we had dominated the second half. He should have been more patient. And I would not have taken off Zinny (though maybe that was more protective) because with those changes we were too open. And that third goal killed it for us. And it might have been more if Ronaldo was, like, 30 years younger. We need to get used to this. Because when we play the wankers down the road this is exactly the strategy they will use – to hit us rapidly on the counter-attack.

It was good to see Zinny back out there though Tierney must be a little pissed. But Zinny adds more for us in creativity and forward movement. He also helped – as did Xhaka – with Sambi. And Sambi had a decent game. Some of his passing was excellent. He controlled his game and could not really be blamed too much – even if he helped on their second. Once those subs came on I think he got a little lost positionally. As long as he is not over played he should continue to develop.

But like the rest of the team they need a year or so to fully cook and mature. I still believe we were unlucky yesterday. We held our own against a re-energized and re-organized United team. The score line flattered them. This is a good team (to be clear i’m refering to Arsenal). We were picked off against the run of play.

And back to VAR. There have been many instances where VAR has interceded correctly (i.e. VARdy diving in our area against Leicester). And I don’t hear of any anti-VAR noises our of Spain or France. Or in International matches. Or European matches. So, just maybe, we in England just have knobs for Referees and VAR assistants? Is that possible? A long line of knobs from Dean to Tierney to Moss. VAR has evolved in the 4 seasons we’ve experienced it. But someone needs to take clear ownership and define clear standards. First off, there has to be a timer on VAR. The person reviewing has no more than 1 minute to assess and make a decision. I mean, that’s still more than 60 times as long as the referee had to make the original decision. If they require more than 1 minute then it can’t be clear and obvious. How hard a concept is that? Let’s see how long it takes to implement this? People will argue, when does the 1 minute start? Well, when the referee refers it or from when the incident occurs. We would need someone to oversee VAR and implement the changes needed. Not FIFA or EUFA thank you. But someone steeped in the knowledge of the game. And, yes, I am available. I would be prepared to make that sacrifice. For a large sum of cash (in re-usable notes – no crypto thanks) deposited into an account in Bermuda, I would be willing to be the Czar Master of VAR. There that’s settled.

So the next few games will be interesting. Aside from the accumulation of injuries, this will be an interesting test. Last year we were a streaky team. A run of wins followed by a run of losses. Is that still the nature of this team? Or can we find a way to immediately bounce back. That will tell us a lot about our character. Let’s see how Arteta reacts in his team selection. As I always say, it’s a long season and it’s early days yet. We are still top of the league. We are still in a great position. It’s not the end of the world. But neither should it be the beginning of the end of the world. So let’s see what backbone we have. I suspect we will bounce back. This team has more confidence. And better players. But we need to sort out the defense. Maybe we’ll see Tommy re-appear. Not to blame White but we need to get this right.

And now we have the distraction of the NoHoppaCup on Thursday. Let’s see if we have any players to put out there. ESR, who was invisible when he came on, now seems to be injured again. I hope does not turn into another version of our Jack. This would have been a fine time for him to get some minutes. But we can’t afford to play Sambi nor Odegaard nor Jesus. So let’s see.

And remember, we’re still top of the league. For the moment.

-LB7

Still top of the league. Amazing. But soon to be caught by the Nordic giant from the North. What a contrast to last year. Five games with maximum points. Time to end the season I think. Who needs a nine month season. August is sufficient to determine the league winners.  

I was petrified that Arteta would juggle the entire team to adjust for the lack of Partey and Elneny. Instead he made the wise choice to go with the as-yet uninjured Sambi. Fortunately, against such muted opposition he was not tested greatly. However, he performed admirably and linked up the play quicker and more smoothly than our injured Egyptian. In fact, we looked a little more nimble with him there. He does though have weaknesses that others will exploit. He can’t seem to win headers and is caught ball-watching on defense. Too often he fails to track his man back as he watches their possession develop. But, all  in all, it was a good introduction for him. It’s been a while since he’s played 90 minutes and deserves time to adjust to no longer sitting on the bench.

Our attacking strength was on fall display today. Again, we came out of the blocks pretty quick. We dominated. Well, as much as we could, while Villa were hacking us to bits. It’s amazing that McGin did not get a yellow card until the second half while the wonderful Odegaard picked one up in the first half. Maybe it was their colours, but there were times when they looked like and played more like Burnley than Villa. Not that Gerrard is as ugly as Dyche. But like Burnley, if they continue to play like this they will be relegated. Though they will discard Gerrard before then.

There were so many chances to score in that first half. Our interplay was at a level they could not compete with. Jesus continues to shine brightly. Martintelli buzzed around and Saka showed signs of life. At some point he will rediscover his scoring boots. Maybe he has to learn to shoot with his right foot or learn just to stand on it. Marintelli set him up with a gorgeous chance that he missed. And there were so many skirmishes in their area that you wondered if we’d ever manage to get that opening goal.  

Martinez pulled off a number of excellent saves. And it was refreshing to hear the crowd continually boo him. Well deserved after his comments. Thankfully though the curse of our old goalkeepers returned to help us. He should have done better with that first goal. As good as Xhaka was again operating in that forward position, he should never have been allowed to advance without being offside but they could not hold their line and then Martnez should have held onto that deflection. Thankfully Jesus was alert enough to pounce and deservedly give us the lead. It was suprising how muted the Villa reaction was to going behind. We continued to dominate and miss chances.

Most of our best play came down the left. Tierny and Martinelli linked up well and Xhaka, operating in that free role, pulled the strings. He looks so much happier these days. And on the other side Odegaard continued to stroll around. Saka, aside from not scoring, flitted in and out of the game. But once he hits his stride, this team will explode. Of course, by then we’ll be playing teams that are more towards the top end of the table so we’ll need him.

The defense, while untested, was solid again today. In fact, I thought when White was taken off we actually got worse. By the end we had ESR and and Tommy on the right and we looked more venerable. First off, for their goal, Tommy has to take some of the blame. He was in front of Ramsdale and should have made more of an attempt to attack the ball. And then, while he is better at getting forward, he gave their players more space to operate in. It made me appreciate a little more the work White has been doing. In front of Tommy I was surprised at how low ESRs work rate was. It’s noticeable now once you see how much running Jesus does – and even Eddie, when he came on. ESR has to figure out how to work harder. He came on for Odegaard who was still suffering from the hacking of that thug McGin – when he was not booked.

By then we demonstrated our new found resiliency. I had the fear that Villa would find a way of scoring after we passed up so many chances and had started to withdraw into a more game management mode. But then, like against Leicester, we found a way to respond immediately. That must give us increased confidence. It started and finished with Martinelli. But this time Saka returned the compliment of setting him up. And Martinelli showed him how to put it away. And, again, Martinez, did not cover himself in glory. Maybe against United, they can sign Almunia or bring back Peter Cech.

To be able to recover the lead so quickly was so refreshing and so unlike Arsenal of the last few years. I’m still in partial shock. Of course it was deserved. But after all those missed opportunities it felt like we decided to wake up from our deep slumber to just put Villa down again. We had outplayed them and were so clearly superior. When you think back to last seasons encounters you can gauge how much progress we’ve made. And so much of it stems from Jesus. Not just his scoring but his work-rate and attitude. It infects everyone. Including Eddie. When he came on, aside from spurning one great chance, he worked so hard, held up the play and occupied their defense.

I’ve yet to mention Saliba or Gabriel. And that’s because they had little to do apart from swat away Watkins. How Gerrard left David Luis, Coutinho and Ings on the bench for so long is beyond me. Maybe he was scared of being picked apart. Maybe he did not notice that was happening anyway. But even when they did come on (apart from the freak corner) our rocks in defense held firm. We even saw a late appearance from Holding and his new improved, coloured hair.

That’s not to say the game was not annoying. Beyond the constant Villa (aka Burnley) fouling and weak referring, we had to deal with our own sloppy passing late in the game. When we should have been holding onto the ball we seemed to give it away to easily and started to lose the second tackles. It was enough to put my nerves on edge. Fortunately, Villa had no punch in them (ironic I know). Even Fulham were more threatening than this lot. As I said, hopefully they will go down this year.

Beyond this though, the most annoying part of the game was the abject camera work. And the habit of showing replays at least 3 times. While the game is going on. Or shots of either manager that linger while the game is going on. And now, whenever a player does anything, the camera goes in for a close up on that player. While the game is going on. For example, when, in the first half, when Martinez was closed down by Saka and he tried a back heel while right by his goal-line, we did not see that because we were being subjected to yet another re-run of a replay. Whoever is making these decision is an obvious moron. I can’t believe, in this age of ubiquitous iphones, streaming services and tick-tock (whatever that is), we don’t yet have either (1) picture in picture or (2) a choice of camera shots. This would alleviate the pain of being subjected to some producers idea of the collision of art and football.

So, when we next meet, we might or might not have made a few more transfers. If we haven’t it’s still going to hard to claim that this was not a great window for us. Remember this is a team for the future. One more year and one more window and we’ll have the full squad we need. But, let’s return to Sambi and Partey. As I said after Saturday, we can’t rely, unfortunately, on Partey. He was barely injured while at Atletico. But, in the English League, with its increased intensity and increased thuggery (that’s you, Villa), he can’t be relied on. And with Elneny felled by some mysterious injury, we can’t just rely on Sambi. As much as I’d like to have Neto it’s more important that we add a defensive midfield player. Once Sambi gets injured we’ll have to move Xhaka back into a position where he’s guaranteed to get booked and sent off due to his lack of pace. Not that I know who’s available at this late stage. But, as I’ve said even a blind man could see this exposure in the team. Not to say I’m a blind man, because I could see it.

This team is so exciting to watch now. It reminds me of our best Fabregas lead teams with Hleb, Carzola, Rosicky and Jack. Except that team was more mature. You have to go back to Eduardo to find a forward of the caliber of Jesus (sorry Giroud). We are close to operating at the level of the top 2 but we just need that defensive midfield cover. And we need another year or two to mature. This season cannot continue like this. Enjoy it while it lasts. It’s unreal. After the pain of the end of last season we deserve this. All I’m doing is watching the points gap with Chelski, United and that other lot. Give us as much cushion as we can to get that Champions League position. With the NoHoppaCup due to start I’m sure we’ll pick up yet more injuries. That’s what undone us last season. Even more reason to bring in a few more players. And we should also say goodbye to AMN and Hector. And all before our journey up into the red midst of the north. Let’s hope Ramsdale is fit and we have someone in midfield to demolish their cheating, faking, rollover at every chance clutching you face Fernandez.

In them the meantime, can I remind you of something? We are top of the League.

-LB7

We are top of the league. We are top of the league. I know. I said that last week. But I want to enjoy while it’s lasts. Because it won’t. And it nearly didn’t today. But we had a little luck, and we showed some resilience. And we deserved it. Arguably, we scored all three goals – if not created all three that’s for sure.

It’s funny how our center-backs have each given goals away and then made up for it and the other end by scoring. Gabriel though can’t be put in the same league as our Big Willy (I know, but I enjoyed the reference last week so I thought I’d double down on it – so to speak).

So, somehow, we remain undefeated with maximum points from 4 games. That’s unheard of. I believe the last time we achieved this was back in 1856 when we beat Collective United National Trade Society 5-0 with three goals from Fred Oracle the 3^rd. But I digress.

Now I’m just saying, you know, if a meteorite just happened to crash into the earth and destroy all football stadiums and all available football pitches and then the season would have to be cancelled then not only would we qualify for the Champions League for next year but we’d also win the Premier League for the first time in this modern era. Please note no people were injured during the making of this stupid hypothetical; it was a very specific alien engineered meteorite. Anyway, the point remains. We are top of the league.

This was all part of the grand plan when we acquired Ramsdale. Put Leno in goal at the other end and then pepper him with corners. He managed to save a few of our shots but it was inevitable that he’d go all Fabianski on a corner. Karma when you only pay us £10m for him.

It was good to see though that Zinny was not too injured so that he was able to participate in the Gabriel celebrations. When he scored that is – not when he set them up for their goal and their celebrations. We missed Zinny today. And Partey. Our Elneny worked reasonably hard but he’s a Mini compared to the Partey Range Rover. You could see the lack of creativity down our left. Tesco Tierney defends better but tends to pass sideways and lacks to the imagination of our Ukrainian hero.

Thankfully though we still have Jesus and Odegaard. Jesus is like an electric eel whereas Odegaard was majestic today. Making Ozil-like passes but with a real workrate. Some of his passes today were out of this world. He was the link up player today. Without that Zinny creativity we were entirely dependent on our Captain.  He teed up Jesus a few times who, on another day, will score. Instead it was left to Odegaard to open our scoring. Quite a nice habit he’s developing. Eventually teams will kick him off the pitch or just have someone follow him right out of the dressing room.

Saliba was outstanding yet again. He is like a Rolls Royce at the back. His distribution is everything that Gabriels isn’t. He was able to feed White and Odegaard whereas Gabriel was still too slow and rarely got the ball out to Tierney. As a consequence Zhaka was more isolated and had to come back a little further to get involved. As for Gabriel, I suppose the only good news was that he did not foul their Serb and get a red card. I hope he learned from that but towards the end of the game he nearly got caught again. Saka should never have played that pass to him. It was careless and very high risk. But Saka could not know that Gabriel would go full-on Mustafa. But, unfortunately, Gabriel has that in his locker.

Saka still has not found his groove yet. I would have thought ESR would have come on for him at some point. Saka had a few chances but still needs to sharpen his finishing. He has plenty of time to get back his mojo.

Arteta deserves credit for his changes once we went one down. Though we lost a little when Jesus was moved to create space for Eddie to zip around we made up for it in the increased intensity. Eddie should have scored. But this was not like last season at Everton. Eddie has developed and is more threatening now. But he should have scored at least once. But Arteta made the right moves. And this team showed some backbone today. Last season I don’t think we’d have won this game – we might have done enough to get a point. But to come back from one down against such a dour team as Fulham should give us confidence.

But we saw today what happens when we lose Partey. In addition to the cover for the defense we lose someone who can pick up the ball from the defense and propel us forward. So, with the transfer window still open that’s where the focus should be. Sure another attacking player – like the high priced Neto – would be good but there’s no way we’ll get 30+ games out of Partey.

There were times today where I was convinced it was one of those games where we’d have all the chances in the world but luck would conspire against us to score. We certainly deserved to win it was just not clear that we’d get the breaks necessary. That we’d actually take one or two of the chances we’d gotten. Because we had so many and seem in capable of shooting or scoring. So I’m relived that we got the goals and points we deserved. And that we back at the pinnacle of the league. Enjoy it while it lasts. The more distance we can put between us and the other teams that will be competing for 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th so much the better.

But we’ll need Partey for Old Trafford that’s for sure. Tierney’s defense will help there but we’ll want Zinny on Wednesday. And let’s hope another returning goalie can help us out as well. Hopefully the ego that is Martinez can also emulate Fabianski. It’s nice that we’ve populated some many teams goalkeepers; maybe they will be our secret weapon this year.

So, enjoy another few days at the top and pray for the good health of Zinny and Partey because they were missed today. But get used to it. And remember, this team was not built for this year but for next.

-LB7

We are top of the league. We are top of the league. Ok, the opposition has not been overwhelming. It’s felt more like pre-season at times. And we’d wrapped this up after 15 minutes. Maybe even in the warm-ups. Or maybe on the A3. Either way, this was easy peasy lemony squeezy.

Three games in and it’s a different world to last year. This team is different. As is the opposition. And it all starts with Jesus. I’ll admit I was skeptical that this was the forward we needed. I loved the idea of getting Zinny – so I was 50% right. But Jesus continues to be at the center of everything good. And he’s ignited Martinelli. That first goal had Jesus weaving his way through four of their defenders – all scared to bring him down. Then, again, he set up Martinelli but Odegaard was there to sweep up the re-bound. We continued to dominate. Bournemouth were surprisingly passive. They had no press, energy or physicality. Apart that its for their lumbering giant at center-forward. Insipid is how I’d describe them. But again, you can only beat what’s in front of you. And this lot were dead as a doe-doe. The second arrived care of Saka and, again, Jesus. Thereafter we seemed to drift into game management.

Partey hardly had to break into a sweat. Zinny was buzzing all around the pitch. From left-back, to left-wing and right midfield. He has a license to thrill. It’s a pleasure to see someone with such a high football IQ. He reads the game so well. Shame he’s not that great at defending. In front – or to the side of him – we saw Xhaka spend more time in their box than ours. He was a tad sloppy with some of his passing but overall he looks so much more at ease and comfortable with Zinny near him. And then in front you him you have the effervescent Martinelli. He should have scored today but brings an incessant energy level to this team.

Odegaard, even if we set aside his brace, was dominant today. Controlling the pace of the game, strolling around and opening up their defense. One of these days a thug i.e. Hjojberg etc, will just crunch him out of a game. But given space and freedom, Odegaard is a master at pulling the strings. There is a growing maturity in his performances. But, I suppose you have to consider the opposition.

Ramsdale has yet to climb back to the heights of last year. His defense warranted the clean sheet. But Aaron made a few mistakes, again, today both with his distribution and his physicality during corners. We know though he will come good. I want him to the England goalie for the WC; he has to displace that ugly Pickle at Everton – who should be relegated by then anyway.

Gabriel was solid as a Brazillian rock today. He was there to intercept the few crosses and raids they had in our penalty area. And he kept his distribution relatively simple as well. And alongside him we had the other star of the game; Our Willy is really quite impressive. I know. I could not resist. Sorry. But really, in addition to snuffing out any hope they had of an attack he then produced a majestic goal. Not only did it put the final nail in their coffin. It also cemented his burgeoning hero status. But what a delightful, skillful finish. And with his left foot. Between him and Gabriel, White had better continue working on being a dominant right back because those two have the center of the defense locked up. If you include his goal from last week he’s now one of our top scorers. He’s got more goals than Saka and ESR.

I remain unconvinced by White at right back. His distribution was bit dodgy again today. Too many errant passes but he did set up that second goal. It’s hard for him though to adapt to this position. And we still have Toomy waiting on the sidelines. There are so many games ahead of us that they’ll both get plenty of playing time. But it’s nice to see the exact same team selected for three straight games. And I’m sure it will be that way for the Fulham game as well.

It’s so strange watching this team this year. The ease with which they managed this game and were barely under any pressure. There’s no tension, fear or screaming – from me that is. It’s so unusual. No angst. It was a stroll in the park today. But it allows this team to knit itself together; to continue to figure out ways in which operate as a team.

The bench looks half decent as well. Being able to bring on two actual full-backs in Tierney and Tommy along with ESR, Eddie and our new Vieira. I have to remind myself how different this squad is from the one MA inherited. The progress is pretty astounding. I think it’s just Saka who’s left now. And Holding. Soon, I pray, Pepe will be gone. Nice to have him in Nice. Anywhere but North London. Removing him and OhNo elevates this team. We need a genuine replacement for Partey though. There is no way he gets through the season without his regular thigh/hamstring injury. As much as I admire our Elneny, we can’t be a serious contender without an equivalent level of ability in the backup.

And it finally looks like Hector will be finding his way back home. He deserves to return home. He served us well. He never really recovered his blistering pace after his major injury. But he’s served us loyally and I wish him well. He had a unique style and was way more sophisticated and informed than you’d normally expect from a footballer. He was a pleasure to listen too even is his fashion sense was a little off the rails.

Back to Jesus. He has been transformative for this team. He deserved a goal today. Actually he had one. But it took that monumental cunt of a VAR ref Paul Tierney to rob him of that goal. Why would it take him to long to disallow if, if it wasn’t borderline. In which case the advantage should go to the attacker. It all depends on which frame you pick to draw the line. The sooner they automate this and remove retards like Paul Tierney the better. It’s bad enough he robbed us with a non-existent penalty, a dubious sending off and then numerous missed calls against the Spuds but now he had to take a deserved goal away from Jesus. I dread the thought of this complete cunt refereeing us this season. He is completely clueless. It’s not just our games. I’ve seen him in many other games. It feels like with the retirement of Mike Dean, the FA masters have conspired to foster Tierney on us.

Back to Jesus. We have to wrap him in cotton wool now. He inspires this team. We can’t have him injured. He was instrumental in everything good today – along with Odegaard.

This was fun to watch, relaxing and reminiscent – yet again – of the Fabregas, Carzola and Rosicky days. But with a defensive midfield and a real defense. But the beauty of the game has returned to Arsenal. I know it won’t last. That there are stupid losses ahead of us, games where we will be physically mauled. Without Burnley in the league it will be interesting to see which teams try to kick us off the park.

In the meantime, let’s wallow in the glory of being top of the league. Of being the envy of other fans, by playing entertaining, fluent and beautiful football with the youngest team in the league. And we don’t have to sit through any more of that AON documentary. We don’t have to re-live the end of the season again. Let’s hope all that frustration and disappointment gets channeled. And let’s hope that MA does not have to loose his voice. Because he’s rebuilt something special here. There’s a long way to go. It won’t peak this year. But in the next two years, as this team continues to mature, it will. MA has proved those doubting fans wrong. Those dummy, temperamental, entitled fans – the ones who chased AW out because they did not consider 4^th an achievement – should now hold their hands up and acknowledge they’ve lost their right to express any opinion on Arsenal. Only I have that right. Which is where I’ll leave this for now. Happy, a believer and looking forward to the next game.

-LB7