Our Cup Runneth Over

Arsenal continue on their merry way.

A professional, no-nonsense performance and ultimately comfortable win over West Ham means 40 points out of 45 so far, and now a 7 point lead at the top of the table (notwithstanding that City are still to play). And despite going in at half time a goal down - to a somewhat soft penalty - I was never worried about the final result. And there was plenty to like about the performance, and the way that Arsenal went about their work.

Now, having been looking forward to returning to the stadium for weeks now, I was unable to go. I have Covid; as has my son - we both missed out. So we'll have to go 'cold turkey' for another week. Very frustrating. However, I'm a public-minded chap, so I was never going to risk spreading it around. But I wasn't impressed with Santa this year, when I woke up on Christmas morning feeling flu-ey and took the fateful test. Awkward, when preparing to cook for 12 people! So it was the sofa for me instead.

And at half time I had a WhatsApp conversation with a (Liverpool-supporting) friend of mine, which went as follows (here's a screen shot: and the last line was sent straight after the equaliser...):

Was I right? Or was I right?

Because for all that Arsenal went in a goal down, there wasn't too much to criticise. No real World Cup hangover - a little rustiness I guess - but with Odegaard orchestrating matters, Partey looking typically solid, and Eddie Nketiah filling Jesus' massive boots most admirably, it really did feel like just a matter of time. Three goals in the space of 15 second half minutes put the game to bed swiftly and decisively.

Saka, expertly controlling Odegaard's scuffed shot for the equaliser and, in acres of space, rolling the ball past the helpless Fabianski

Martinelli exposing the Pole at his near post

And Nketiah applying a gloss finish to both his own performance and the score line with a fine turn and no-look cross shot into the far corner - much to the delight of his team-mates and the crowd

All of those at the end of some delightful moves, full of hard pressing, sharp passing and incisive movement from - well - everyone, really. It was, thankfully, as if the World Cup hadn't taken place.

And it would be remiss of me not to mention Odegaard’s late ‘double reverse nutmeg’, which took place almost exactly in front of where I’d have been sitting. If you haven’t seen it, seek it out.

And all this in front of Arsene Wenger, finally back at the 'house' that he designed and built for the first time since he left at the end of the 2017-18 season. And, because nobody outside of a small inner circle of people knew that he was going to be there, the outpouring of joyful song from the crowd was all the more beautiful for being completely spontaneous. 'One Arsene Wenger!' How wonderful!

Things are going to ramp up now, with a difficult run of fixtures on the horizon. Brighton away; Newcastle at home, Tottenham away and United at home. That 7-point buffer is going to come in useful, I would imagine. And we have to temper expectations. Sure, Arsenal are in a strong position, but Top 4 was the first aim, so we shouldn't be dreaming too much yet. Let's hope that the rearranged game with City in mid-February has a ton of meaning. After that we can start getting excited, I hope.

On top of all that, Arteta and Edu should be looking at getting up to three players in over the next month. Strike whilst the iron is hot. Arsenal should be a 'project' to excite any ambitious young footballer anywhere in the world. Let us see.

I remain 'cautiously optimistic'. But City are sure to come on strong, and Newcastle are looking quite relentless too. 

Meantime, all that remains for me to say is COYG! Happy New Year, and I'll be back on New Year's Day.

Meaningful Football Is Finally Back On Monday

Well, that's the World Cup done with. So it's back to proper football on Monday.

I thought I'd share some of my thoughts about the whole World Cup shebang (but in something of short form, or we'll be here all night) before coming to the matter at hand - which is of course The Arsenal. Here goes:

That whole 'holding a World Cup in Qatar' thing

One does of course need to show respect to the Laws of any country when one is a visitor (is there any point risking a jail term?), but all in all this World Cup was the manifestation of some of the most iniquitous 'sport washing' we've seen so far - and that includes the ownership of clubs such as Manchester City, PSG and now Newcastle United. To be fair, sport washing has been going on for years - the 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, remember... but this time it's been given the full support of the iniquitous organisation known as FIFA. Infantino is merely a caricature of his predecessor. Meet the new boss - same as the old boss.

Let's face facts - there was corruption involved in the tournament being awarded to Qatar (it was bad enough that the previous one went to Russia). Add to that the controversies regarding slave labour and deaths of dozens, if not hundreds, of migrant workers; and the fact that Qatar - alongside many countries in the region - is completely out of touch with what the term 'human rights' means. Then,there was FIFA's kowtowing to the host nation regarding such as the rainbow armbands. The fact that it's been held in mid-season. And on top of that the fact that there'll be little or no 'legacy' of this tournament in the country in which it was held. All in all, it's been an absolute travesty.

Of course, the football was always going to be great. Football never ceases to surprise and excite. But that's not the point, is it?

The football itself - Shocks and Awe

We've seen shocks. We've seen the end of several illustrious careers. We've seen some bloody good - and extremely exciting - football. We've had VAR controversy, of course. A good deal of sh*thousery on the way. We've seen some fairy tales almost come true.  And one that actually did...

Qatar were, as expected, the worst team in the tournament. Although Canada - and Wales! - ran them close. Argentina opened their campaign by meekly losing to Saudi Arabia. The supposed European powerhouses Belgium, Germany and Spain looked pedestrian and devoid of ideas compared to some of the vibrant football being played by the most unlikely of countries; Morocco the most outstanding of those. France and England met too early in the piece. Brazil believed their own publicity. And Heung-Min Son cried.

 

We saw the end for a petulant and graceless Cristiano Ronaldo, and for the infinitely classier Luka Modric. Both giants of the game (notwithstanding Modric's inexplicable spell at Tottenham). And a different sort of end for Lionel Messi - and if there was ever a debate about who's the GOAT, I believe that these past few weeks have settled it. He's not the player he was - we Arsenal fans have nightmares about what peak Messi did to us - but boy; has he still got it!

One can debate whether he's the greatest player ever (personally I prefer Maradona, who could make a ball do pretty much anything but talk), but I've seen Pele and Cruyff too and I'd put Messi above those two. As for any debate as to who is going to take over the mantle of world's best player, I believe that Mbappe has blown Neymar out of the water.

It was a great World Cup Final (from the 80th minute onwards, at least). Some of the most scintillating football you're ever likely to see. Of course, we can have no time for Argentina - apart from the presence of Messi. They are the ultimate sh*thousers; cynical, dirty, and capable of gamesmanship of the worst kind. Particularly in the case of ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez; an excellent goalkeeper, but a really nasty character. His antics during the shoot-out were a disgrace. He has Neil Maupay to thank for having the opportunity to help Arsenal win the 2020 FA Cup to help launch his career properly, but - with Arteta preferring Leno - left Arsenal for a solid £20m, and was replaced with a loveable rogue in Aaron Ramsdale; as opposed to the goalkeeping equivalent of a Peaky Blinder.

Why do this...

...when you can do this?

England

They thrashed Iran, as expected, but were very poor against the USA. Really quite pedestrian. But Wales are pretty awful, so qualification in top spot was pretty much a formality. Senegal were ultimately seen off comfortably, despite a dodgy 20 minutes or so. And then they met France... too early in the piece, as I mentioned. A quarter final match-up that would have frankly been worthy of even a final. 

If Kane puts that second penalty away, I'm pretty sure that England could have gone all the way. If... a very big word for one with only two letters... Whilst I have zero time for Kane when he's wearing the shirt with a chicken on, I always give him my full support when he's got the Three Lions on. And frankly, who else would you have wanted to take that penalty? It would have looked bizarre to have had someone else take it with him on the field.

As for England's successes and future prospects, I believe that we can firmly place both Jude Bellingham and our very own Starboy in the top bracket of footballers on this earth. Those two can anchor England for the next dozen years, all being well. And there's plenty of talent coming through. The latest 'golden age' is by no means over.

Proper football

And so, remarkably, Arsenal go into the 'second half' of the season no less than 5 points clear of Manchester City; and perhaps more pertinently 11 points clear of Manchester United, who occupy 5th place. One thing at a time... 

I've realised that I forgot to hit the Post button on my Wolves blog, but it's too late for that, and circumstances have very much changed since then.

It's worth examining how the World Cup has affected the Arsenal squad. And it's been something of a mixed bag for the 10 Gooners who've been away in Qatar.

Aaron Ramsdale will have come back relaxed and with a lovely suntan, with Southgate preferring Pickford. Matt Turner enhanced his reputation with some very solid performances for the USA.

It's been a mixed bag for the defenders. Ben White's alleged 'bust-up' with Steve Holland meant an early departure from the England squad, but he's been back where he's loved for three weeks now. He's the type of character who will put that behind him, I reckon. Takehiro Tomiyasu hasn't been properly fit for months now, and wasn't able to do himself justice in Qatar. Arsenal need to get him properly fit ASAP, because he offers solidity and versatility. And William Saliba's 20 minutes in a meaningless game was disappointing - quite how the likes of Upomecano get into the French team in front of him only Deschamps can explain. But he's 21; his chance will come in 4 years' time.

As far as our midfielders are concerned, it was quiet. Ghana went out in the group stages, so Thomas Partey hardly over-exerted himself. Granit Xhaka lasted just one extra match. 

Up front, Bukayo Saka had a very decent tournament and enhanced his reputation. And Gabriel Martinelli's time will come too. Brazil have several inter-changeable wide men, and I believe that Gabi did more in the tournament than the likes of Rodrygo and particularly the disappointing Rafinha. Arsenal dodged a bullet with the latter in the summer, if you ask me.

But the big issue is Gabriel Jesus. Used extremely sparingly, and then suffering a serious injury that's going to keep him out until March, I reckon. As if it wasn't bad enough that the thoroughly dislikeable Richarlison hogged the Brazil headlines along with Neymar...

So what should Arteta do? We know that he's after another wide man, with Mudryk currently in pole position. 

But for me it's too much of a risk to ignore that fact that he may have to rely on Eddie Nketiah for up to 20 matches between now and when Jesus returns. If Arteta believes that Eddie can put in a shift like Jesus does, and can maybe rotate Martinelli in there - but only if ESR is close... - then perhaps he'll think he can get away with it. But for me he has to get another striker in ASAP. 

Arsenal have looked quite toothless in the last couple of friendly matches, and goals will be needed. 5 points clear means a great opportunity to kick on. Arsenal must not waste it.

Anyway, it's back to proper action, with West Ham the visitors on Monday. And after that there's a very tricky run of games. It would be nice to think that they can kick back straight into the old groove, but that remains to be seen. All extremities are crossed here.

Anyway, I'd like to wish you the Compliments of the Season; whilst I take a pickaxe to my Fantasy Football squad. And leave you with the traditional year-round greeting - COYG!!!

Nothing Personal. And F*cking Unbelievable!

An unusual start time of noon on Sunday. And it was, in the immortal words of Lionel Richie, Easy like Sunday morning.

And indeed it was 'nothing personal'. Arsenal have moved on from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. And it's clear why and how they have done so. But I'll get to that later.

Another 'statement' win took Arsenal back to the top of the table, having been usurped by Manchester City's somewhat fortunate last-minute penalty winner over 'only Fulham'. And it's interesting to note, by the way, that we've now played 4 matches against the rest of the so-called Big Six, and have registered three wins and a somewhat unfortunate defeat. As many points as we gleaned from 10 matches against the same group last season. Citeh have three points from just two corresponding matches; but Arsenal have apparently had an easy schedule so far... Point of Order - Newcastle are going to have to go into this mix any moment now. 

So, in case anyone is still in doubt about Arsenal this season (I'll start with Gary Neville, shall I?), Arsenal are right in the title race. And if you look at the table it could be argued that it's already a two-horse race.

Now, I'm aware that Chelsea have injuries (James, Chilwell, Fofana and Kante out, Kovacic not fully fit), and that Arteta could pick his first choice XI; a group of players who know exactly what they're doing. And Arsenal bossed them all over the pitch for fully 90 minutes, and the only surprise is that it was only 1-0. Of course, there's always that sense of jeopardy when a lead is so slender and one mistake can change a team's fortunes, but... Chelsea had 44% possession, just 5 shots (one on target), an xG of 0.3, committed 20 fouls and had 5 players booked. At home, where they hadn't lost since last April (also to Arsenal, by the way). Arsenal took charge immediately, and barely gave Chelsea a sniff.

And this is the mighty Chelsea, remember. How the wheel has turned! But it's possible that we merely caught them at a bad time. What I'd like to see is Arsenal go to Liverpool, or Tottenham, and do this. I reckon that a victory at one of those grounds might just mean a bit more. The black heart was torn out of Chelsea when Abramovich was forced to sell, and it's going to be a while before they recover. But there again, do we care?

Now to player analysis: Ramsdale had little or nothing to do, and didn't put a foot wrong. His distribution was excellent throughout. Ben White had whoever Chelsea put up against him in his pocket, and could additionally afford to spend a lot of time supporting Bukayo Saka. Zinchenko - just back from injury - helped to overload the right side of Chelsea's defence, putting Azpulicueta under intolerable pressure. Chelsea tried to exploit the space in behind him by popping long balls up to Sterling, but Arsenal's high line, plus Gabriel's pace and Xhaka's positioning helped nullify that particular threat.

Gabriel got the crucial goal - again, I'll come to that - and did a really solid job on Aubameyang and the sporadic threat of Havertz. And William Saliba... is he really just 21 years old? He was absolutely majestic in this match, and even when he made a mistake he soon made up for it himself. If Arsenal's kit man turned out his pockets post-match, he'd surely have found Auba skulking at the bottom of one of them. And Broja in the other one; that moment when he played Broja offside, gave him two yards start and still got back to take the ball off of him was something to behold.

In midfield Xhaka was popping up everywhere, as usual, and Odegaard continues to quietly oil the wheels. And as far as Man of the Match is concerned Thomas Partey cannot have been far behind Saliba. Once again, a majestic performance. Irreplacable.

Up front, whilst not having their very best games both Saka and Martinelli made a right nuisance of themselves (I could easily get on the Protect Saka bandwagon again here, as he had to seek his own retribution on Cuccurella, seeing as the referee wasn't protecting him). And Gabriel Jesus did everything required of him but put the ball in the net.

This was as comprehensive as it gets. There were two or three moments when I was completely blown away by the quality of Arsenal's one-touch passing, as they embarrassed Chelsea time and again. If Jesus had managed to get a decent contact on that header from Martinelli's cross - at the end of a sweeping pitch-length move - then Goal of the Season could have been wrapped up in November! 

But it's not just about their quality. They work so hard, from front to back, and barely give the opposition a moment's peace. Quite simply, when they're in that mood, how do you play against this Arsenal team? I'm hopefully not getting ahead of myself, but I cannot wait for the games against Manchester City, and I can't wait to see what happens when Haaland comes up against Gabriel and Saliba.

I think that's quite enough hyperbole. Because I think we've actually seen them play even
better than this during the season. But they did more than enough and, as I say, it was a 'statement' performance by what is turning out to be a Rolls Royce of a team. I'm basking in its glow.

Just a few extra points to add: Firstly, the goal. And Chelsea made an absolute pig's ear of defending that corner. Havertz out of position. Three defenders unable to deal with the delivery, Mendy rooted to his line, Cuccurella pinned by Xhaka, and a tap in from all of a foot for Big Gabi. The very least that Arsenal deserved.

Secondly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's ill-advised BT Sport promo. Sure, it was nothing personal. But with just 8 touches of the ball in the 64 minutes he was on the field, a single shot, two fouls committed and a well-deserved booking, what more needs to be said? Easy to compare him to Gabriel Jesus and see why he's yesterday's man. I've personally got nothing against him - he single-handedly won us an FA Cup, after all - but Arsenal have well and truly moved on now.

And finally Granit Xhaka's on-pitch interview straight after the game had finished. If you haven't see it, find it on the internet and have a good laugh.

And so onto Wolves next week - they're languishing in 19th, but it won't necessarily be easy - and hopefully we can go into the World Cup where we belong. What are we? We're top of the league. COYG!

PS - I liked this Tweet :)

One In The Eye For Forest

Arsenal remain top of the table following a comprehensive thrashing of bottom club Nottingham Forest (apologies for the Nelson-related pun in the title of this piece btw). Which on the face of it is great, and far from it for me to start this piece by being churlish, but...

Firstly, Nottingham Forest aren't very good. Granted, they beat Liverpool last week; but, let's face it, everyone beats Liverpool these days - they're in turmoil at the moment. But Forest are bottom for a reason. And a comfortable win should generally be par for the course for the league leaders against the bottom team.

So why not rotate? Yes, I know that Thursday's Europa League performance and result were disappointing - a third lethargic away game in a row, in fact - and that there was perhaps a need to boost confidence, but there are far bigger fish to fry next weekend. Going with a full strength side seemed OTT to me, with the risks perhaps outweighing the genuine need to do it.

Plus two key players went into the game on 4 yellow cards, thereby risking the possibility of missing out next weekend, in a game where Arsenal really do need to be at full strength. I'd rather not be risking being without one or both of Saliba and Jesus away to Chelsea if I can help it, thank you very much.

And then there was, of course, the risk of injury. And we saw Forest continue the Kick Saka theme adopted by so many of our opponents this season from the very first minute. An assault from which Starboy never fully recovered - nonetheless, despite being impeded by the effects of the first minute challenge throughout his short stay, he managed an exquisite assist for Martinelli in the interim. The initial news on Saka is positive, so let's hope he's OK for next weekend.

Gibbs-White and Yates were doing their very best to get under Xhaka's skin throughout too, with a number of unnecessarily rough challenges going unpunished. We really could do without this sort of thing.

But Forest were off the pace throughout. Thankfully, they could barely get close enough for most of the time, as apart from a 15 minute spell before half time Arsenal looked in complete control. But... it's really, really difficult for any squad to go through a season without some element of rotation. Especially with a squad that's barely big enough to fight on 4 fronts. So despite the result I genuinely feel that loading extra miles into all the important legs may turn out to be a mistake. I do hope not, but...

A few other points from the game. Firstly, Reiss Nelson cannot be accused of not taking his chance when it was presented to him. Two goals and an assist was a fine day's work. And kudos to the two Fantasy Premier League managers who captained him this week. I should ask them what Wednesday's lottery numbers are going to be, I reckon! What's important to see is how he fitted in to the system - seamlessly.

And here I can perhaps be seen to be arguing against myself. Thursday's performance, with a much-changed starting eleven, was not so much disjointed (Arsenal saw plenty of the ball), but lacking in cohesion and penetration. So changing one or two players is maybe enough; any more and perhaps there's too much of a price to pay. So in conclusion perhaps what's needed is an infusion of quantity as well as quality in January? As it happens, the ludicrous World Cup break may work in Arsenal's favour - despite what pundits and the media may have us believe. 

Secondly, we saw many top performances from Arsenal players all over the field. Ben White goes about his business quietly, yet added a typically high quality performance to his portfolio. WIlliam Saliba's pace snuffed out danger as and when it was required. Tomi was really solid. Xhaka hit his minimum 7.5 out of 10 with little fuss. But for me, apart from Nelson the two stars were Partey and Odegaard. Partey bestrode the midfield like a colossus, totally dominating the Forest midfield on his own. And his goal was a carbon copy of the one against Tottenham, and a thing of beauty. 

And Odegaard once more - and almost unnoticed at times - oiled the wheels of the Arsenal engine. And got the goal he deserved.

As for Gabriel Jesus... well, what he desperately needs is a goal. He could have walked away with the match ball with a modicum of luck, but had to settle for two assists (I'd have given him one for Nelson's first goal too, tbh). He continues to work really hard for the side, but a confidence-restoring goal would really help him, I'm sure.

I'd also like to show those who haven't seen it this image. Good luck to you, man. But such speculative bets are difficult to repeat. And £125 stakes = sheer raving lunacy! Still... impressive!

Anyway, easy win, what should be a simple task at home to Zurich on Thursday, and then Chelsea - who had been quietly accumulating points under Potter but got found out on Saturday and aren't, I suspect, as good as their league position would suggest. Arsenal have a decent recent record at Stamford Bridge, so we can be on the confident side of hopeful. We also received the good news that the hateful Diego Costa is banned for Wolves in our final match before the extended break, following his latest atrocity. Good; can't stand him - never could; never will.

Just a quick word here on heart-throb centre back Pablo Mari, on loan at Monza and victim of a cowardly and senseless attack earlier this week. Firstly, the world is clearly mad - you don't need me to tell you that. And secondly, thank goodness it looks like his injuries aren't serious. I wish him a swift and full recovery. Nice touch from the boys following the first goal here...

So on we go. COYG!

Bad Habits. And Bad Refereeing.

As regular readers of this column will know, I rarely say anything at all about referees... however, I'm going to be talking about this one in the course of your next 5 minutes. Because there's little doubt that he had a massive influence on this game.

Look, we've come out of it with a draw. In many ways, that's disappointing, as Arsenal were well on top throughout the bulk of the first half and should have gone in  at half time with a bigger lead than a mere 1-0. A combination of complacency regarding the level of opposition, profligacy in front of goal, and some mystifying decisions from Mr Jones combined to mean that Arsenal's superiority wasn't truly reflected in the scoreline.

On the other hand, Arsenal lost this corresponding match last season. So perhaps we'll look upon it as something more valuable than it currently feels later in the season. So let's look at the main threads:

Complacency and Profligacy

Granit Xhaka tested Bazunu from a tight angle very early on, and then Odegaard missed an excellent opportunity for Arsenal to take the lead, scuffing his shot (he continually gets into good scoring positions, but sometimes opts to pass; and he needs to up his finishing skills to take advantage of more of these situations), before Xhaka's astonishing right foot volley gave them an 11th minute lead.

Gabriel Jesus - possibly suffering from a temporary loss of confidence having not scored for a while - twisted and turned following a Ward-Prowse error but only hit the side netting soon after. Martinelli drove into the heart of the Southampton defence and got a shot away, only to be defied by a deflection with the goalkeeper going the wrong way. And Bazunu beat away a Jesus volley following another Southampton error forced by Arsenal's high press.

In the second half Jesus had a chance to put the game to bed before the equaliser. But his run towards goal - following yet another press-induced Southampton error - lacked conviction and his shot was weak and comfortably blocked. Sub Nketiah had a late opportunity, but by then Arsenal had essentially lost most of their control.

Fatigue

Again, I'm not making excuses. But Arsenal had less of a rest than Southampton, having played on Thursday. The squad isn't quite big enough, as we know, to enable Arteta to rotate as much as he'd like. And once again Arsenal faded in the second half. It's become a bit of theme recently, and frankly nothing's going to change for the rest of the season. With the big World Cup break looming, I think that it would be prudent for Edu to line up two or three January reinforcements; one in central midfield, one wide man, and an alternative forward.

Refereeing

I'm sorry, but this must be done. Robert Jones is one of the new influx of referees following the mass close season retirements amongst the old guard. And he is, frankly, incompetent. How he got this gig is beyond me.

Arsenal have suffered from his work once already this season, when against Aston Villa he allowed Tyrone Mings to get away with this...

... he allowed Villa's equaliser despite a clear foul on Ramsdale...

... and he also failed to punish serial offending by the opposition midfield. So I guess that what transpired on Sunday should have come as no surprise.

Here, he failed to punish an early Caleta-Car foul on Jesus, and thus set the same tone as he had against Villa. Seeing that they could get away with it, Caleta-Car and Lyanco felt that they had carte blanche to man handle Gabriel Jesus throughout, and they dished out similar treatment to Saka and others.

I won't list all the offences (these images do the job for me), but I reckon that on another day Arsenal could have had two penalties, and Southampton 5 yellow cards plus two red. 

However the non-penalty on Jesus is worth comparing to the one that Jorginho won the day before...

 ...whilst the booking of Saka for simulation (there was definite contact) merely added insult to injury...

For the first of the penalties, Jesus reported that the referee had told him that if he'd have gone down earlier he may have given the penalty. So Jesus is punished for trying to stay on his feet? The world has gone mad!

I know that referees have been told to let the game flow a bit more this season, but a foul is a foul, and when I last looked rabbit punches in the back, attempted head butts, and throat grabbing were not permitted on a football pitch. And I can only assume that the VAR was having a long nap instead of paying any attention to what we were watching.

Anyway, what's the point of moaning? However, if we ever see that the incompetent Jones is awarded another Arsenal game (he should go back to Sunday League at Hackney Marshes if you ask me) then we'll know what to expect.

Anyway, we move on. To what I hope is massive rotation on Thursday evening in Eindhoven, and then what ought to be a straightforward task at home to Nottingham Forest on Sunday. How the latter beat Liverpool on Saturday I really don't know - all I can say that it was equally improbable and hysterically funny at the same time. And Spurs lost again.

Still top. COYG!

One final thing. You may have noticed that Southampton brought on Samuel Edozie as a late sub. He was signed from Manchester City in the summer, and he's only 18. However, I understand that he's nowhere near as good as his brother Fandab. Think about it...

The Longest Game

It has all been pretty much plain sailing for Arsenal this season. 8 PL wins out of 9, and 3 from 3 in the Europa League. Difficult to ask for too much more, and there's been little doubt that Arsenal have been the better side in every one of those games... at least up to this week, that is.

However, a trip to play on an artificial pitch in the Arctic Circle on Thursday - which ended in a somewhat unimpressive 1-0 win - was followed by quite a battle at a frantic and hostile Elland Road on Sunday. Victory, ultimately, but the jury should possibly remain out for the moment at what the nature of the two wins this week mean going forward. Are Arsenal starting to show some cracks at the start of this hectic 5 week schedule, and again suffering from lack of squad depth, or are these two hard fought victories a sign that this team can win ugly as well as beautiful? The jury may have to stay out for the moment; at least to my mind.

No changes in team selection from the win over Liverpool. But extra miles had gone into quite a few legs in Norway. Particularly those of White, Odegaard and Saka - who all started on Thursday. Plus there remained concerns as to the fitness of Gabriel Jesus. Arsenal have done well at Elland Road recently, so there was nonetheless plenty of cause for optimism. 

And so to the game itself. It kicked off at 2pm, and as we know finished at around 4.30! It actually turned out to be critical to the result that the loss of communication between the referee and Stockley Park was fixed during the 38-minute break between the match being stopped - after just over a minute - and it being restarted. Because for once VAR did its job properly and on-field decisions/errors were rectified by (of all people!) Paul Tierney as VAR. Without VAR, Arsenal would have lost his game comfortably.

The first half was fairly even, with Leeds pressing Arsenal really hard, stopping them from getting into any real rhythm, and thereby ensuring that the league leaders looked just a bit off the pace. An early Leeds chance, following a free kick, saw the first of several crucial saves by Man of the Match Aaron Ramsdale. In response, Odegaard scuffed a shot having been set up by Xhaka's dummy, the ball fell to Jesus and his chip failed to hit the target when he should have done better. 

But soon after Arsenal got their noses in front when Rodrigo's outrageous attempt at a crossfield pass only found Saka, and he exchanged passes with Odegaard whose exquisite through ball - the second similar assist in successive PL games - relocated Saka on the left of Leeds' penalty area. Starboy put his right (wrong) foot right through the ball to lash it over Meslier's head and into the net. That's 4 goals (three of them match-winners) in three matches, in the space of 8 days, for everyone's favourite player. 

It had already like the first goal was going to be critical, and so it proved. Because the second half was almost all one way traffic - in the wrong direction! - as Leeds upped the pace further. The half-time introduction of Patrick Bamford was a real catalyst for this, as it gave Leeds a focal point in attack that they had been missing in the first half. On reflection, it was all a bit frantic - a case of trying just a bit too hard and displaying a lack of composure. But there were plenty of scares on the way.

Almost as soon as the second half had started, Leeds had the ball in the Arsenal net as Bamford clipped home Harrison's cross. But he was penalised - slightly harshly if you ask me - for easing Gabriel off the ball. First let-off.

Second let-off minutes later, as Saliba's handball - he got a nudge from the man he was marking but the mistake was all his - was referred to the referee by VAR and a penalty rightly awarded. Some handy shithousery from Arsenal delayed the taking of the kick and then Bamford - still awaiting his 100th League goal having been stuck on 99 for 18 months now (he'd been out with a long-term injury) - failed to hit the target.

And so it went on. Arsenal barely able to keep the ball at all, and wave after wave of Leeds attacks the feature of the entire half. Arsenal were unable to exhibit any control whatsoever, with Jesus looking well off the pace up front (Arteta should have brought him off long before he finally did, and given Eddie a runout), our two star wingers and all of our midfield having to work overtime keeping the marauders at bay, and our defence coming under concerted pressure. Saliba had his least impressive game of the season, and must adapt quickly to the sort of pressure he was put under. Still, he’s very young, and I have every confidence that he will do so going forward.

However Gabriel was magnificent. 90% passing success, won 8 duels, made three successful tackles, three interceptions, 4 clearances and blocked 4 shots. Now that's eventful - and also an indication of how hard he had to work!

In addition, Ramsdale made three further vital saves - one very painfully indeed! - as Arsenal rode their luck on their way to a crucial three points. The final piece of luck being the penalty/no penalty - red card/no red card injury time set-to between Gabriel and Bamford which saw VAR once more intervene - rightfully - in Arsenal's favour. Bamford committed the first offence, Gabriel lashed out when he shouldn't have done, and Bamford reacted as if shot. All's well that ends well, although it's certainly not good for the old ticker...

The longest game... a 38 minute first half delay, and almost 10 minutes of second half injury time... it meant that we missed the start of the Liverpool/City game - a match that we could relax a little watching, knowing that we were 4 points clear. And that reminds me - Happy Invincibles Day everyone! 

I once more cannot finish up without mentioning Tottenham, I'm afraid. Another penalty, won in dubious fashion by Kane (people are really starting to notice now), and they won again. In their traditional boring manner. But they’re right up there with City as a result. Some Spurs fans are saying 'Wait until we start playing well', but my response to that is that this is as good as they are, and they WILL get found out sooner rather than later. Big game for them on Wednesday; away to United. I shall be writing to the Premier League, asking them to award zero points irrespective of the result...

But let's get back to more important matters. Arteta is almost certain to go pretty strong on Thursday, as victory over PSV will mean an almost certain top place group finish. And then it's on to one of our bogey grounds, St Mary's, to face Southampton on Sunday. Expect more from them as we got from Leeds.

The time to rotate may then well be the return with PSV, and definitely Forest at home? Of more concern is if these under par performances turn out to be more than a blip. And that does concern me. Meantime, let’s bask in the glory. Sunday was a great day, as it turned out. Three points. City lost. 4 points clear. Invincibles Day in October. What more can one wish for?

COYG!